Zootopia: A Different Beginning
by WingedKatt
Summary: This is a "What if?" story taking place after Judy turns in her badge and returns to Bunnyburrow, and when Nick and Judy track down Weaselton after getting the clue about the Nighthowlers. So 'what if' Judy didn't get her clue from Gideon at her family's roadside stand? And 'what if' Nick went to Bunnyburrow to find her? Will Nick find the closure he's seeking or something more?
1. Chapter 1: Imagine That

WingedKatt here. For those of you following my main story, _Zootopia: At the Beginning_, this is a completely separate story. I will continue working on Z:AtB while working on this story, _Zootopia: A Different Beginning_, on the side. I'll be posting a chapter of this story (Z:ADB) every three weeks since I don't have a backlog of chapters and life has gotten quite busy. But I hope you enjoy this new story I started. It'll be shorter than my first story, but it will have a sequel.

Nick will be listening to 2 songs if you want to play them: _Meet Me In The Woods_ by Lord Huron and _Bigger Than Life_ by Pinkzebra.

* * *

Nick sat in his black 1970 Triumph TR6 convertible while speeding down the highway towards Bunnyburrow. He wasn't quite sure _why_ he was speeding towards Bunnyburrow—his cynical side kept telling him it was a lost cause and he should just turn around and go back to Zootopia. He had actually considered it several times and almost turned back at one point, but it wasn't like he had anything to go back to. The savage attacks were becoming more frequent with each passing day and a lot of predators had already moved out—what with the severe prejudice, loss of employment, and losing their homes. In a nutshell, Zootopia had become a very terrible place to live—especially if you were a predator.

So here he was, heading to Bunnyburrow—not to seek employment or a place to live—but to find closure. Closure from what had quickly become one of the worst days of his life. After finally finding someone he _thought_ believed in him, she went and—_!_ Nick gripped the steering wheel tightly. He still found it hard to believe what Judy had said about predators. That their _biology_ predisposed them to go savage. _What a load of crock_, he thought with a snort.

He knew she was intelligent, and she didn't outwardly act specist—it was more of little thoughtless things she said or did—and yet she would say such garbage and actually believe it! It was too much! Once again, he thought of turning around and heading back to the city, but there was no place in Zootopia for a fox anymore. Even Finnick had split, claiming he had a sister living outside the city he was going to visit.

And so, he didn't turn around but continued on towards the sticks where one of his few _real_ friends (maybe) lived. He knew he'd never be able to move on until he at least talked to her, to find out why she said what she said and why she acted the way she acted.

Gripping the steering wheel tightly again while remembering her fearful reaction to him, he muttered in a heated voice, "_Why_ did she tell the media we were _friends_ if she didn't _trust_ me!? If she's _afraid_ of me? It doesn't make any sense! _She_ doesn't make any sense!"

Smacking the steering wheel with one paw, he then ran it through his head fur in frustration. He wasn't sure they could mend their broken relationship even if she did explain herself, but he had to do something. He couldn't get her out of his head, and it was driving him crazy. As Finnick had put it, _"That rabbit cop is making you loco, Nick!"_ It was actually Finn's suggestion he find and talk to Judy, so he could _finally_ put the "bunny demon" to rest and move on with his life.

Nick wasn't sure his friend's advice would amount to anything (would Judy even see him after all this time? It had been four months since he'd last seen her), but he had to at least try.

Flipping through the radio channels until he found a station to his liking (_Meet Me in the Woods_ by Lord Huron was playing), he then drove another hour before hitting a dead zone and lost radio signal. Pulling out his phone, he opened his music app and played one of his playlists with _Larger Than Life_ by Pinkzebra playing first. Nodding his head to the beat of the music, Nick continued down the endless stretch of road that was lined by massive pines and towering oaks and a bunch of other trees he didn't know the names to.

After another hour and a half of driving through what appeared to be an endless forest, the trees finally gave way to fields of wheat, corn, carrots, alfalfa, sunflowers, and then rows and rows of the smaller vegetables: tomatoes, lettuce, peas, green beans, pumpkins, squash, a myriad of other vegetables, and yes, there were rows and rows of _carrots_.

He couldn't believe how many miles and miles of fields he drove passed before the town of Bunnyburrow came into view. He thought it would be a tiny town that if you blinked, you'd miss it, but that wasn't the case. Although it didn't have any high-rises or tons of businesses lining a maze of streets, there was a large hospital in the distance, as well as five different schools (very large, sprawling schools), several large fields for different sports (football, soccer, baseball, track), several large hardware stores, a couple of large clothing stores, and a smattering of small, local businesses. Furthermore, everything was in bright oranges, pinks, and yellows, with cartoonish rabbits and carrots covering just about everything. It almost looked like they were decorating for a carnival or something—_or a circus_. With a snort, Nick thought, _The circus probably never comes to town because the town __is__ a circus_.

And, of course, there were the rabbits—everywhere he looked (he was coming down off a little knoll when he saw the town) there were _rabbits_. And next to them, there were _sheep_—the second largest group of mammals he could see here in Bunnyburrow. There were others that he could make out at this distance—several deer, a family of warthogs, a couple of mountain lions, a bobcat, and even a pack of wolves and several coyotes, along with some other smaller mammals that clearly _weren't_ rabbits, but he couldn't make them out through the throng of bunnies—he would need to get closer to discern what they were. And although the town sprawled across many acres, if you took away the hospital, schools, and sports fields, the town itself wasn't actually that big. There were only 2 main streets with only a few side streets. The various shops and stores had an old-country-time feel to them that made him feel like he was driving back in time several decades.

While watching the town grow bigger as he drove nearer, Nick thought: _So, this is where Carrots grew up. No wonder her thinking is so backwards and specist_. He seriously doubted her school curriculum had an accurate portrayal of how predators were in their historic past, nor how they evolved out of their killing instincts. And absolutely nothing about how violent the medium and larger prey species could become—especially during rutting season. With a shake of his head, he drove onward as he continued studying the sprawling town.

With the sun high in the sky while a few fluffy clouds drifted by, Nick finally crossed the train tracks and entered Bunnyburrow's town proper at about 2 in the afternoon. He needed to find a place to eat and a hotel where he could sleep. He didn't know how long it would take to find Judy (trying to find a particular bunny here would be like trying to find a particular needle that had been thrown in a pile of other needles), so he was prepared to bunker down for an extended stay—_provided_ the locals didn't chase him out of town for being a fox.

Driving up and stopping at one of the few traffic lights (it had just turned red), Nick gazed out over the many small, helpless (or so they claimed) prey going about their daily tasks. There were several predators walking among them who hardly gave the much smaller mammals a glance.

"Well, will you look at that," Nick murmured. "All those weak, defenseless prey surrounded by big scary predators and not one of them has gone savage and attacked their '_natural_' food source. . . _Imagine that_." Shaking his head and tutting for a moment, the light turned green and Nick pressed down lightly on the gas pedal.

It was obvious to him (and several other mammals) that predators were somehow being drugged. He didn't know how or by what, but if the only place in the country where predators were going savage was Zootopia, then it stood to reason some kind of chemical or poison was being released into the air, or dumped in the water supply, or somehow mixed into their food. _Something_ was making the predators go savage, and how it didn't also affect prey, Nick didn't know. All he knew was that the predators going savage _wasn't_ natural.

Pulling up and parking in one of the public parking lots, Nick put the top back up on his convertible and stepped out before locking the doors. Walking down the sidewalk to a diner he'd seen, Nick took notice of the rabbits and prairie dogs (that was the other small prey species he'd seen from the hill, along with several gophers) step aside to avoid him, though they weren't the quivering mess of nerves he expected from the small timid creatures. They gave him room but didn't cross the street to avoid him. This gave him a little bit of hope that he wouldn't be chased out of town—at least not right away.

Stopping in front of the diner, Nick raised his eyebrow as he read the name of the place: **Grandma Hopps' Down Home Cookin**. _Grandma Hopps?_ Nick wondered if the owner (or at least the one who started the diner) was Judy's grandma. His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and a small group of prairie dog stepped out. Nick quickly took a step back to avoid being bumped into or run over.

The prairie dogs were startled to see a large fox standing in front of them, and the first one nearly jumped out of his skin. "Watch it, _fox_," the light-brown, chubby mammal warned.

Nick flicked his ear, saying, "I could say the same thing about you, _dog_."

"It's _prairie_ dog," the small, tan mammal stated hotly.

"Meh," Nick replied with a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. The prairie dog's friend opened his mouth to add his two cents' worth in, but Nick simply walked around them and caught the closing door. Glancing around to make sure there was no sign prohibiting predators, he then walked in, leaving the prairie dogs fuming on the sidewalk behind him.

Nick figured he probably shouldn't antagonize the locals, at least not before he found Judy, but after their fight back at the conference and the load of crap she'd spouted off, he no longer cared. Even when he was being nice and helpful, everyone still just saw him as a crook—so why bother being nice?

Stepping further into the diner, Nick smiled at the rabbit receptionist and said, "Table for one."

The rabbit doe forced her mouth to curve up into a semblance of a smile, then hollered, "Hey, Saline, we have a customer."

Nick looked to his left as a pretty, young roe deer waitress walked over with these deep amber eyes. With a bright smile, the doe said, "Hi, I'm Saline, is it just you?" At Nick's nod, she motioned with her hoof and said, "Right this way."

While following the waitress in her pastel pink and white outfit, Nick was pleasantly surprised that the small deer didn't seem to have any problems with serving a fox. As he sat down at the wooden table and took the menu she offered him, he was further surprised when she stood and chatted with him.

"We don't see many foxes around these parts, least not ones who weren't raised here. Are you just passin through or are ya stayin for a while?"

Nick shook his head. "Not sure how long I'm staying, but I'm looking for a friend that lives here in Bunnyburrow."

"Oh, would that be Gideon Grey?"

Nick tilted his head. "Gideon Grey?"

"Oh, yeah, he's the only red fox around these parts. Him and his family live down in the holler, but Gideon owns a bakery just down the street there." Saline pointed off in the direction of the bakery, then turned back to Nick, saying, "You have to taste his pastries." She kissed her hoof and said, "He's the best pastry chef in the tri-burrows. Oh, and now that he's partnered with the Hopps and using their fruit, his pies and muffins are to die for."

Nick's ears immediately perked up. "Pies? The Hopps grow more than carrots?"

Saline giggled and lightly smacked him on the shoulder. "Of course, silly. They grow all sorts of stuff. Their apples, peaches, and blueberries sell like hot cakes."

"_Blueberries?_ They grow _blueberries?_" Nick pressed excitedly. Saline simply nodded, and he continued, "They grow _blueberries_ and Gideon _bakes_ them into _pies?"_

"Oh yeah, his blueberry pies are one of his best sellers. You should try one."

Nick grinned widely as his tail began thumping excitedly. "I think I will."

Saline grinned back and then asked, "So do ya know what ya want to order yet?"

Nick glanced down and quickly perused the predator section, then answered, "I'll have the chicken and dumplings with a side of green bean casserole."

Saline nodded and asked, "And what will you drink?"

Nick flipped to the back where the drinks were and grinned. "I'll take the berry lemonade." The picture showed a load of blueberries mixed in with some blackberries and raspberries.

"I'll be right out with that."

Handing the doe the menu, Nick said, "Thank you," then sat back and waited for his food.

After Saline flashed him another brilliant smile before disappearing into the kitchen, Nick had time to think. It was interesting to hear about Gideon. In a town named for the large number of bunnies that lived here, Nick didn't expect to find any foxes living here, or rather, _allowed _to live here. The fact there was a family living here gave him a little more hope of meeting with Judy before being run out of town. It meant the town was a little more open to foxes then he originally thought. But then again, if Judy knew Gideon and his family but still thought she needed fox repellant, maybe Gideon and his family was just as ostracized as he was back in Zootopia. Maybe more so, seeing how there were so few of them.

Then again, if Gideon was being ostracized, how could he have a thriving bakery? Wouldn't the rabbits, prairie dogs, and sheep boycott him for being a fox? And how did Judy's reaction to him relate to any of this? She most likely knew Gideon before she came to Zootopia, her parents were business partners with him, after all, so why—_why_—did she feel the need to carry fox repellant? Even after he proved—he _proved_ to her—that she didn't need to fear him. It frustrated and angered him to no end to think about that day. And yet he knew he'd never be able to move on if he didn't confront it (and her) head on. He'd tried running from it, he tried ignoring it, he even tried drowning himself at the bottom of a bottle—_stupidest thing he'd tried so far_ (he'd woken up with the mother of all headaches, a bloody nose, a black eye, empty pockets and absolutely no memory of where he was, how he got there, or what had happened)—but nothing worked, nothing helped. He could _not_ get Judy out of his _head_.

And it wasn't just her horrid speech and fearful reaction to him—it was _everything_ about Judy. The way she smiled, the way she laughed, the sound of her voice, the way her eyes lit up when she was happy or excited, the way she looked at him with acceptance and appreciation, the way her paw felt on his arm . . . Once they started actually working together (and he stopped wasting her time), he found that everything about her drew him in and made him want to get closer to her, to learn more about her. At least, it did until that stupid press conference happened.

With an inaudible growl, Nick rubbed the heels of his palms across his closed eyes, then raked his claws through his fur on his head and back behind his ears. Nothing she did during or after the press conference made any sense to him.

"Well, that's a mighty serious expression ya got there," Saline said as she placed Nick's lemonade on the table. "Is something botherin ya?"

Her words startled Nick, and he quickly dropped his paws and looked up. "Oh, sorry," he muttered. "The last few months have been pretty hard." With a sigh, he explained, "A friend of mine said and did some things that I find very confusing. They hurt a lot and I can't understand why she did them."

Saline's expression took on a look of compassion and empathy (which Nick found strange, but oddly comforting), then she said, "That's pretty tough." At the todd's nod, she added, "Is that who you're lookin for?"

Nick nodded again, then explained, "I'm not sure we can mend our relationship, but I'd like to at least try."

Saline nodded in understanding, then asked, "So what's her name? Maybe I can help ya find her."

Nick took a deep breath. He wasn't sure he should be blabbing that he was friends with Judy, not in her home town as he didn't know how the locals would take her being friends with a city fox, but Saline had a cheerful, open personality and didn't seemed bothered at all to be serving or talking to a predator, much less a fox (which was a far cry from the receptionist who couldn't hide her fearfully twitching nose), so he figured she'd be his best bet at getting some answers.

"Judy. Judy Hopps."

Saline's eyes grew big as saucers and she brought a hoof up to cover her mouth. "Yer friend is Judy Hopps?"

Nick flicked his ear. "That's what I said."

With her hoof still covering her mouth, she stated excitedly, "Ya _are_ from the city, then!"

"Absolutely, 100 percent," Nick said sagely with a slight nod.

Saline giggled again and pushed his shoulder. "Oh, come on. When ya said ya were lookin for your friend, I was sure you'd come in from one of the other towns." Nick tilted his head slightly in question, and Saline explained, "Elk Meadows has several fox families livin there, as does Three Rivers and Deer Hollow. And then if ya go up to Badger Grove, I've heard there are several fox species livin there."

Nick's ears perked forward. He'd hardly ever left Zootopia before, just short runs here and there, most being short day trips, so he was pleasantly surprised to hear of these fox populations outside the city. Thinking of his diminutive friend, he idly wondered if Finnick's sister lived in one of them.

Scratching his neck while thinking of his future, maybe it was time to make a permanent break from Zootopia. If he couldn't make amends with Judy, maybe he should head out to Badger Grove. It seemed to be a predominately predator town with lots of foxes, so he should have a better reception there (and maybe even find himself a real job).

Turning his attention back to Saline, he said, "I haven't been to any of them, but once I'm done here in Bunnyburrow, I might just check them out."

Saline grinned at him, and then said, "So ya want to meet with Judy?"

Nick nodded. "If you can tell me where she lives, I'll head over there after my meal."

Saline's large ears immediately drooped. "Um, I'm not sure that would be such a good idea."

Nick's own ears folded back a bit. "Oh? And why is that?"

Saline wrapped one arm around her waist and covered her mouth again with the hoof of her other arm. "Well, ya see, the Hopps clan are a bit . . . _cautious_ . . . round strange predators and don't take kindly to uninvited . . . _guests_."

"Oh," Nick murmured. This would explain some of Judy's subtle paranoia around foxes. Forcing his ears back up, he asked, "So how do I get a hold of her?"

"Well," Saline said while fidgeting with her apron strings, "she used to come to town several times a week, but since comin back from the big city, we hardly ever see her. And when she does come in, it's always with her siblings." Leaning down, she whispered, "I think they drag her here to get her out of the burrow." Standing back up, she continued, "Judy's a bit spacey now, too. Half the time, she's just starin off into space, lost in thought, and not really followin the conversation. If ya can grab her attention, she'll smile and maybe even laugh, but it's real obvious her heart ain't in it."

Nick's ears disappeared behind his head this time. "Okay, now I feel really bad."

"Oh?" Saline asked curiously.

"Yeah, I probably should have made this trip several weeks ago when I was first thinking about it."

Nodding, Saline said, "Yeah, that might've helped. I heard some of her siblings saying Judy feels like she broke the city, that she's the cause of all the unrest." With drooping ears, Saline leaned over again to whisper, "I heard them say she quit her job over it."

Nick's ears pricked forward. He'd heard Judy had gone back home over a month ago, but he was sure Bogo had concocted some lamebrain reason to fire her. He couldn't forget how the egotistical bull had set Judy up for failure 4 months ago, giving her 2 days to crack a case they couldn't solve in 2 weeks. "She quit her job?" Nick repeated. He knew how hard she worked to become a cop, so hearing she voluntarily quit stunned him.

Saline nodded. "Apparently the mayor wanted to make her the poster child of the ZPD, saying Judy was a hero, but she refused and handed in her badge. She was back home that afternoon."

It took Nick several heartbeats to respond to this news. He knew Judy never looked very happy when he saw her on the news while trying to break up fights between protestors, but he never considered that she might be regretting her words at the press conference—or that she'd quit her job over it.

_"__Saline,"_ the receptionist called from the front of the diner, "we have _other_ customers."

The irritation in the doe's voice was obvious and Saline's ears disappeared behind her head. "Oh, right, I'll talk to you later." With slight bow, the doe twisted around on her hooves and started making her rounds—refilling drinks and making sure all the meals were satisfactory.

Nick watched her go, then grabbed his own drink and took a sip. With ears perking up, he took a big gulp. The berry lemonade was _really_ good. Taking another drink, he then set the glass down and leaned back in the booth. After a moment, he wiped a paw down his face then stared up at the ceiling.

He thought he understood Judy (he had her pegged the moment he saw her—a naïve hick with big dreams), and yet the otter chase 4 months ago showed him how wrong he was. Working with her showed him a side of her he didn't expect to find. And up until the press conference, he thought he'd come to truly know her, but then the press conference destroyed his initial opinion of her and replaced it with a darker, tainted image of the rabbit he'd come to see as a friend. Her words and actions had essentially ripped the city apart, but now, hearing more about her, Nick realized he really didn't know her at all.

With his head resting on the back of the booth, Nick remained lost in thought until his food arrived.

As Saline set his chicken and dumplings down, she said quietly, "If ya want to meet Judy, I'd talk to Gideon. He delivers pies to their roadside booth every mornin. If Judy ain't there, then maybe Gid can introduce ya to her family and at least give ya a chance to get a message to her."

"Thank you," Nick replied.

Saline nodded, then picked up her serving tray and returned to the kitchen to get the next order.

While smelling the steaming dish, Nick pushed the disturbing thoughts of Judy aside and dug into the chicken and dumplings. It had been a long time since he'd tasted anything so mouth-wateringly good. You just couldn't find this down-home cooking back in Zootopia. He was enjoying it so much, that it was gone before he knew it. Licking the last of the soup from the bowl, Nick froze with his tongue inside the dish as he heard some snickering in a booth catty-corner from him.

Realizing what he was doing, he quickly pulled his tongue back in his mouth and set the bowl down. With a slight cough, he picked up his napkin and wiped his chops, then turned to his green-bean casserole. It tasted just as good, but he retained his manners this time and refused to lick the dish (no matter how much his taste buds demanded it).

After finishing off his berry lemonade, he pulled out his wallet and left a sizable tip, then picked up his check and took it to the reception desk to pay for his meal. The bunny (whose nametag read Robin) kept her forced smile pasted on her face but couldn't hide the unease or distrust in her brown eyes. Taking the receipt after paying, Nick took his time walking the short distance to the door—_just to spite her_. He didn't cause any trouble while in the diner and had paid for his meal and yet she was still acting like he was a crook. It really rubbed his fur the wrong way.

* * *

WingedKatt here again. So Nick has made it to Bunnyburrow, but what is he to do now when her family isn't very welcoming to predators? Next chapter, Nick will meet the one mammal that might be able to help him, along with some heaven-sent blueberry pie.

Chapter 2: Sins of the Past, will post on March 5. Enjoy. If you have comments, I'd love to hear them.

Disney owns Zootopia and all its original characters. I only own the other characters I created myself.


	2. Chapter 2: Sins of the Past

Judy set two zucchini squash in the wooden crate beside the large yellow squash and two-dozen carrots, then took the money from Mrs. Hopperson, a light-tan elderly rabbit that always had a fresh pitcher of lemonade ready whenever Judy and her siblings stopped in for a visit. Mrs. Hopperson owned a beautiful flower garden that Bonnie would always send some of her kits over to twice a week to get fresh bouquets for the kitchen, living room, and several of the studies. Judy's mom simply loved Mrs. Hopperson's flowers for they always had the best scent and looked and remained fresh longer than anyone else's.

As the grandmotherly rabbit took her crate and loaded it onto her small, three-wheeled scooter, Judy glanced at her watch while turning to the next customer (a mother prairie dog and her eight kits who wanted a large bushel of broccoli and asparagus). Judy's shift was almost over and she couldn't wait to leave. Although she never minded manning the roadside booth before, her heart was no longer in it. After destroying the city, ruining the best friendship she'd ever had, and then giving up on her dream job—she just didn't have the heart to do much of anything anymore. And putting forth the effort to deal with a bunch of random mammals just exhausted her.

But she promised her parents she would do the booth once a week (to get her out of the burrow) if they stopped setting her up on blind dates each week (her mom was setting her up with at least 2 a week). It was their way of helping her get over her melancholy mood and hopefully move on with her life by settling down and giving them some grandkits (as if they didn't have enough already). But she wasn't ready to move on and she certainly wasn't ready to settle down—especially with some nameless buck she didn't care two-cents about and who probably didn't care about her—_the Ice Queen of Bunnyburrow—_unless it was to get bragging rights for scoring with her.

As if she'd waste her time with some lowlife who only wanted a one-night stand. She was saving herself for her mate. The first male she chose to be with would be the _only_ male she was with. So, if he wasn't willing to commit to her, then he wasn't worth her time or attention.

Now if she could just convince her _parents_ of that, then she'd be having a much better time. They wanted the commitment part (_oh, yes, they wanted commitment_—her mother and sisters couldn't wait to plan her wedding, and her father couldn't wait to hand her off), but they hoped she would settle to get it.

But becoming a kit-popping doe standing bear-foot in the kitchen (as most bucks expected from their does) was not her. Her mom might be happy settling for that kind of life, and most rabbit does found a lot of joy in raising huge families, but she, _Judith Laverne Hopps_, could not. That was not her and never would be. She needed excitement and adventure, along with someone who would _happily_ share those exciting times and adventures with her (and slapping a sleeping cassowary on the rump and then running to dive under the fence was _not_ her idea of a daring or exciting adventure). She needed someone who could think fast and run fast, someone like . . . An image of a certain red fox popped into her head.

Judy wasn't quite sure _why_ she suddenly thought of Nick, but it might have something to do with the fact that when the guilt over breaking the city wasn't eating at her insides and knotting her stomach all up, then she was missing Nick immensely (who had time for bucks when she couldn't get her fox friend out of her head?). Sometimes she'd even catch herself turning to say something to him only to realize she was alone or that it was one of her siblings who was talking to her. And whenever someone yelled _carrots_, she'd always look up expecting to see Nick grinning at her with that smug smirk of his or rolling his eyes at something dumb she'd said or did.

This left her feeling disoriented at times as she struggled to keep the past and present separated. Then again, the fact she wasn't sleeping very well might have something to do with it.

When she wasn't having a nightmare over all the heated arguments, fights, and riots that broke out between predators and prey, then she was having a nightmare of the press conference where Nick accused her of not trusting him and storming off (this was a recurring nightmare of hers). But what really got her, was when she had a happy dream of returning to Zootopia to find him sitting under some bridge and after properly apologizing for being such a small-minded, dumb bunny he forgave her—only to wake up and realize she was still in Bunnyburrow—_alone_—and that she never did find Nick (she did look for him before returning home, but trying to find one small fox in such a large city was like trying to find a needle in a haystack).

The worst part about waking up from this dream, though, was realizing he never did forgive her—that he still _hated_ her. She could somehow handle all the other predators hating her for what she said at the conference, but thinking of Nick hating her, or wishing he'd never met her or that she'd never been born tore her up inside like nothing else. The thought made her heart bleed.

And because of this, she found this dream to be the worst and left her crying the hardest. She _wanted_ it to be true. She wanted it _so badly _that some mornings she found it hard to get out of bed as it left her curled up in a ball crying. She hardly knew the fox, and had only spent a few short days in his company, and yet all she wanted was to see his smug grin again, to hear his laugh (even if it was at her expense while telling one of his lame jokes), and to hear him call her Carrots or Fluff or even Officer Toot-Toot again. _Anything_—as long as it was _his_ voice she was hearing.

With a heavy sigh (and looking at her watch again—her sister was late getting here for the shift change), she rolled up several carrots in a newspaper and handed them over to a chocolate-colored buck (who was vainly trying to hit on her and didn't like the fact she ignored him) and then several ears of corn to a grey and white billy goat. Once the goat left, there was a break in the line and Judy turned her attention back to her thoughts and how much she wished Nick was here with her.

At this point, she'd even take being yelled at. She knew she didn't deserve to be his friend anymore and she wouldn't blame him if he never forgave her and never wanted to see her again. But even if she knew this with her mind, her heart couldn't accept it. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to hear him again. She even wanted to touch him again. And for reasons she couldn't understand that brief moment on the gondola where she had touched his arm was now imprinted on her mind.

Touching him then didn't mean much at the time—_but now_—she couldn't forget it. Flexing her fingers briefly, she could still recall how warm and thick his fur was (even after being drenched in sprinkler water), and how firm and strong his muscles felt.

With a slight chuckle while leaning over the booth's countertop and staring at a small basket of blueberries, she contemplated how funny her memory could be. When she'd first met Nick and followed him around as he carried out his popsicle hustle, she could only think about how dishonest he'd been in tricking and lying to her, but now . . . other things stood out in her memory—things she'd overlooked at the time. Such as how strong he had to be to haul one of those giant popsicles up a drainpipe of a two-story building. Or how agile and flexible he was sliding down and jumping off the same two-story drainpipe. Or how fast he'd been in running from her when she accused him of lying to her. He'd also been able to keep up with her while running from Manchas (after gaining the top spot at the academy, she discovered most mammals couldn't keep up with her).

And of course, there was no denying how smart and brave he was. Not only did he have all the right permits to ensure he wasn't jailed on a technicality, it was Nick who figured out they could use the jam cams to find out what happened to Manchas. And it was Nick who stuck with her when Manchas was chasing them, and it was Nick who stood up to Chief Bogo and his rhino and tiger officers so she could keep her badge. And it was Nick who snuck into an abandoned asylum with her, past a pack of _armed wolves_, just so she could find her missing otter and prove she was a real cop.

"Hey, Judy, I'm here," a black rabbit doe with a white muzzle, belly, and paws spoke up as she walked to the booth.

Judy looked up to meet her sister's pale, blue eyes and gave a nod (her sister was almost 10 minutes late). "Hey, Mandy, am I glad to see you," she murmured.

With a raised eyebrow, Mandy observed, "You're spacing out again." At Judy's shrug, the black and white doe added, "Are you thinking of _him_ again? That buck you met in Zootopia?"

At her sister's question, the light pink insides of Judy's ears turned several shades darker. "Is it that obvious?" she asked quietly. Her and Mandy were fairly close, and during one of her morning crying sessions, Mandy had found her and talked her into spilling the beans on how she'd ruined her friendship with Nick. But because she intentionally left out the fact that Nick was a predator and a fox (she _did_ tell her sister that he _wasn't_ a rabbit), Mandy automatically assumed Nick was a _hare_. And she never felt the need to correct her sister's thinking. It's not like she would ever see Nick again.

Walking around the booth, Mandy took Judy's shoulders and led her back behind her truck so they could have a little privacy (a couple of mammals had shown up and were looking over the produce while trying to decide what to buy). "You know, sis, if I didn't know any better—I'd say you and Nick were a bit more than just friends."

Judy's eyes widened and she waved her paws back and forth in the air in front of her while exclaiming, "Whoa! No, no, no. _Trust me_, Nick and I are _just_ friends. There is _nothing_ more between us." Shaking her head again, she stated, "There's nothing."

Mandy looked her sister up and down, and then walked around her while giving her a critical eye. Coming to stand in front of her once more, she said, "I don't know, Judy. From where I'm standing, it looks like you're pining over your dream date after being dumped for some two-bit floozy."

Judy's jaw dropped and she stared at her sister for several heartbeats before whispering hotly (she was suddenly aware of the other mammals who were milling about the booth just a stone's throw away from where they stood), "There is _no way_ I'm in love with _Nick!_ He's . . he's a . . ." She couldn't possibly tell her sister Nick was a fox now! "I mean . . . We hardly know each other!"

"Doesn't matter. Love has this nasty habit of sneaking up on you when you least expect it, sis." With a knowing gleam in her eyes as she had experience in that department, Mandy continued, "And from the way you've been acting since coming home—thinking about him all the time, dreaming about him, crying over him, feeling crushed that he now hates you and wants nothing more to do with you . . ." Setting her paw on her hip and giving her sister a knowing look, Mandy said, "Judy, you show all the classic signs of having your heart _stolen_ and then _broken._"

Judy just stood there as she tried to get her head wrapped around her sister's words. At the idea that Nick had stolen her heart. Is that why she was feeling so mopey and depressed all the time? Because when Nick left, he ran off with her heart? But how was that possible? They barely spent _three days_ together! And he was a _fox_ and she was a _rabbit!_ How could she possibly see Nick in that way? And why in the world would he ever look at _her_ that way? She was just the dumb bunny who stabbed him in the back.

Slowly shaking her head, Judy repeated, "Sorry, Mandy, but trust me when I say there is nothing between us and never will be." Rubbing her arm while glancing off to the left, she whispered, "He's not a rabbit, Mandy."

"Oh, phooey. Rabbits and hares are practically the same species. The only difference between us and them is that we like to burrow and they don't." As Judy continued rubbing her arm and staring at the ground in denial, Mandy decided to take a different approach. "Okay, forget the whole species thing and just look at it this way: Nick is the first male you've really connected with, correct? The first male to make you sit up and notice him?"

Judy couldn't deny how aware of Nick she was or that she felt a connection to him. With a slight nod, her sister continued.

"He's strong, dependable, handsome," (Judy couldn't hold the smile back while remembering how good Nick looked with his orange fur and ruddy ears and paws.) "has a sense of humor, trustworthy, and makes you feel safe with him—so what's there not to love?"

Judy nibbled on her lower lip while she continued to rub her arm. Mandy was completely correct in her assessment of . . . how she felt about him. There really wasn't anything wrong with loving Nick—_except the fact that he was a fox!_ Not that she really cared what species Nick was. _But_—she was pretty sure _Mandy_ would be singing a different _tune_ if she realized her sister was heartbroken over a _fox_ and not a _hare_.

Finally, she turned back to her sister and said, "Even if you're right . . . about how I feel . . . What difference does it make if he never wants to see me again? I broke his trust and essentially stabbed him in the back."

Mandy nodded and folded her arms, saying, "If he's as great as you say he is, then don't you think that after his temper cools down that he'll want to talk to you, too? Maybe even miss you a bit?" Judy gave a slight nod, but didn't look very convinced, and so Mandy added, "And if not, that just means he's not who you thought he was and there's no point in losing sleep and tears over him."

Judy gave a half-hearted chuckle as she nodded. Before she could reply though, their conversation was interrupted by a loud "Excuse me," coming from the booth. Both does turned to look over and noticed a line of rabbits and prairie dogs, along with a couple of sheep, waiting to get produce. Judy's ears dropped. Where did they all come from? There were just a few mammals a moment ago.

"Look, Judy," Mandy said, "you need some time to think and I need to get back to our impatient customers. Do you want to take my truck and drive somewhere?"

Judy thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I think I'll go for a walk. I need some peace and quiet and a chance to think." Taking a deep breath while considering everything her sister had told her (and finally putting a name to her emotions), she added, "And besides, a walk will give me the perfect chance to clear my head."

Mandy nodded, then gave her sister a quick hug before hurrying over to take care of their customers. She really hoped Judy could get over this slump she was in. First love was always the hardest—especially if it was one sided or ended tragically.

….….

After exiting the diner, Nick looked down the street to where Saline had indicated Gideon's bakery would be, but he didn't immediately see it, so he decided to do some window shopping while looking for the bakery. Coming to one of the clothing stores, he took notice of his reflection in one of the large storefront windows and realized he stood out like a sore thumb.

Although his Pawaiian shirts helped him blend into the backdrop of Zootopia while doing his hustles (he was currently wearing a deep blue one with light blue palm fronds), they were just a loud eyesore here in Bunnyburrow. And if he wanted to make a good impression on Judy's family, he should probably wear something a bit more soothing and familiar. With a deep breath, Nick walked over to the door and pushed it open.

The store was about what he expected, with a large floor plan and lots of clothes primarily for rabbits, prairie dogs, and sheep. Moseying around until he found the canine section, he began browsing through the racks and shelves of clothes looking for something that would blend in but wouldn't be an eyesore to himself. The bright black and red flannel shirts were _definitely_ out of the question.

He did eventually find a couple of blue button-up shirts that weren't too bad, several black shirts that set off his orange fur nicely, and then a couple of dark green shirts that set off his eyes. Each shirt had a different design sewn onto it and he wondered what Judy would think of them. After picking out the shirts, he moved onto the pants and picked out several blue jeans and a couple of black jeans. On the way to the checkout counter, he spied the shelves with hats on them—_cowboy hats_.

Walking over to them, he tried to picture Judy in one of the white straw hats, but since he'd only ever seen her in her ZPD blues, he had a hard time imagining it. With a chuckle, he picked up several hats sized for a fox and tried them on. The white one he tried didn't look right. The brown one didn't fit right. He tried a few more, but none fit or looked quite right, not until he picked up a black Stetson and plopped it on his head. Checking himself out in the full-length mirror hanging on the wall, Nick grinned as he tipped the hat back slightly and said in a country drawl,_"Well, howdy, Pretty Lady."_ With a laugh, he pulled the black hat off his head and turned it over in his paws. It's not something he ever imagined himself wearing, but thinking about Judy, and wanting to see her expression when she caught him wearing it, he plopped it down on top of his other purchases and bought it along with everything else.

Looking at the receipt while walking out of the store, he was once again shocked to see the final amount. If he'd bought all this stuff in Zootopia, it would have just about cleaned him out of his money (he hadn't had anyone but himself to spend money on, so he'd been saving for years). The prices here were easily half or less of what the same items would cost in the big city.

With a wide grin while thinking of all the money he saved, Nick walked back to his convertible and stashed his clothes and the hat. Returning to the street, he continued his wandering and window-shopping (while avoiding the much smaller prey mammals who were giving him the stink-eye) until he came across a pink and white sign over a small shop that read: **Gideon Gray's Real Good Baked Goods**.

Nick tilted his head a moment, then shook it. Gideon was _definitely_ a country boy. Walking up to the bakery, he could see several trays and glass cases loaded with cakes, muffins, pastries, and of course—_pies_. Licking his chops while making his way to the door, Nick pushed it open, with his ear flicking at the sound of a small bell ringing at his entrance.

"Just a minute," Nick heard someone holler from the back, "I . . . I'll be right with ya."

Nick raised his eyebrow at the voice (presumably Gideon's), but didn't say anything. Instead, he started looking around the place and taking notice of the different 'real good baked goods' along with their mouth-watering smells. _Ahh, the smells_. This place felt like heaven for his nose. Stopping in front of a shelf full of pies (and yes, he could smell the blueberries), he closed his eyes and took a deep whiff. _Yes_, this was definitely heaven for his nose—_and soon_—it'll be heaven for his mouth and stomach.

"I, I just needed to pull out these here pies," a rotund red fox said as he walked backwards through the swinging door that separated the store from the kitchen part of the bakery.

Looking at the new fox as he came into few, Nick guessed the fox was a few years younger than himself, but that wasn't what caught his attention. As the fox turned around, Nick's nose started twitching slightly as he began taking several deep breaths. The fox was carrying a tray that held two pies on it. One was obviously apple, but the other one . . . Nick licked his chops while his eyes zeroed in on the fresh blueberry pie, hot out of the oven.

Gideon froze upon seeing another red fox in his bakery. Except his family, there weren't any other red foxes in the area. There were some of the smaller fox breeds—a few swift and kit fox families, several corsac families, and even a family of hoary foxes who had recently moved in on the outskirts of town. They had bought up a bunch of land to start a cricket and cicada farm to help supply the insects to some of the predator food companies.

But _red foxes_—they were in short supply 'round these parts. Especially one as tall and lean as the one standing in front of him. "Um, can I, I help you?"

Nick licked his chops again as his tail swayed behind him while staring at the steaming pie in the other's paws. "I'll take it."

"Huh?"

Nick looked up from the pie and said, "The blueberry pie. I'll take it."

"Oh, um, okay," Gideon said as he made his way over to the shelf the pies were to go on. Setting the apple pie on the shelf, he then walked over to the cash register and set the blueberry pie on the counter next to it, then stepped behind the counter.

As the fox rang up his order, Nick asked, "Are you Gideon, the owner of the bakery?"

"That's right," Gideon said proudly as he put the money in the register. But then, with a flick of his ear, he asked, "Do I . . . do I know you?" He still couldn't believe another red fox had shown up in his bakery. Was he a distant cousin or something? Had they met when they were little and he'd simply forgotten about it?

Nick shook his head. "Nope. I'm Nick. Nick Wilde." After Gideon shook his paw, Nick continued, saying, "I'm just visiting, but Saline, _from the diner_, said you were the best bakery in the tri-burrows and I simply must try one of your pies." Licking his lips, he added, "And going by the smell, she wasn't wrong."

A wide grin spread across Gideon's face as he said, "Ah, shucks, there ain't nothin to it."

"Let me be the judge of that," Nick said as he picked up the drool-worthy pie. Glancing at Gideon, he asked, "Spoon? And maybe a glass of water."

"Oh, right." Grabbing a spoon and handing it over, Gideon said, "Here ya go." He then filled a glass with water and followed Nick over to one of his tables reserved for customers.

"Thanks," Nick said as he took the spoon. Sitting down as Gideon placed the cup on the table, Nick then dug into the pie with gusto. He'd just finished a satisfying dinner, and yet you couldn't tell it to watch him eat now. The pie tasted like ambrosia from the gods and Nick couldn't help stuffing his face.

Gideon watched from the side as he wiped down a couple of the other tables and was surprised at how much Nick was enjoying the pie. The other todd acted like he hadn't eaten in days. Though, with as skinny as he was, that might be the case—especially if he was coming from the big city (Gideon couldn't see anyone from these parts wearing such a loud shirt). He doubted there were too many restaurants or stores in Zootopia willing to serve a red fox now a days.

Nick was half-way through the pie (with his lips and fur stained a dark bluish-purple) before he slowed down enough to talk. Taking a drink of water, he cleared his throat and said, "I heard you partnered with the Hopps and use their fruit in your pastries."

Gideon looked up and grinned. "That's right. I, I'm now partnered with them. It's actually saved my business." With a thoughtful expression, he scratched his neck, adding, "But when Stu first called I, I thought he might be pullin my tail."

"Oh?" Nick murmured with perked ears. "And why is that?" Motioning to the seat across from him, he invited Gideon to sit while they talked.

Gideon took the seat but didn't immediately answer. He fidgeted a minute with his paws, then looked absently at a shelf full of Danish tarts. "The Hopps clan ain't real trustin' of predators and . . . and I, I was a real jerk to a bunch of their kits when we were younger."

Nick froze with a spoonful of the heavenly baked blueberries halfway to his mouth. "You don't say," he murmured as he suddenly felt a claw of fear twisting around inside his gut at the implications of his fellow fox's words.

Gideon nodded as he put one of his paws on the table and started drumming it with his claws. "I had a lot of self-doubt in my youth and it manifested itself as uncontrolled rage and aggression." Bringing his other paw up, Gideon rubbed it across his face while remembering all the fights he got into back then.

Nick's ears flattened against his head as the fear inside his gut intensified. After a moment, he dropped the end of his spoon back in the pie pan and started pushing the cooked blueberries around the half of the pan he'd already eaten the pie from. In a soft voice, he asked, "Did you do anything to Judy?"

Gideon looked up sharply and asked, "How do ya know about Judy?"

Nick's heart about stopped as a chill ran down his spine and along his tail, ending with his tail-tip twitching with anxiety. Trying to keep his voice even, Nick asked slowly, "Gideon, what did you do to Judy?"

Gideon fidgeted with his claws and kept looking around the room as he avoided Nick's sharp gaze. As Nick's fur started to bristle as the thought of getting hostile suddenly crossed his mind, Gideon finally looked at Nick and asked, "How . . . how do ya know Judy?"

Nick flicked his ear and leaned back in his chair while forcing his fur to lay back down. Folding his arms, he answered, "I met her in Zootopia 4 months ago. I hustled 20 bucks from her, and then she blackmailed me into helping her find all those missing mammals. At first, I resented her, but after one wild otter chase, I came to see her as a friend—_a really good friend_. She even asked me to be her partner on the force and gave me an application to the ZPA. It was the first time anyone, especially prey, had shown me that level of trust. I even filled out the application with every intention of becoming the first fox officer of the ZPD and working as her partner on the force." Nick paused and a frown touched his muzzle as he continued, "But what she said at the press conference hurt a lot. I confronted her on it, and we had a bit of a fight. I stormed out on her and haven't seen her since."

Gideon was shocked to hear Judy had asked Nick, a red fox, to be her partner on the force, and the fact that Nick had agreed was even more shocking. As Nick had pointed out, foxes weren't generally trusted—_especially_ by law enforcement. But if he had been able to make it through the academy to become the first fox officer, it would really give foxes a more positive image, might even turn around society's stereotype about foxes . . . or at least start the change. "She really ask you to be her partner?" Gid pressed. Although Judy had forgiven him when he saw her a month ago, he still found it shocking that a rabbit would want to be close friends with a fox, let alone partners on the police force. When working such a dangerous job, you had to have explicit trust in your partner.

Nick nodded. "That's right. I came here to find her and talk about what happened. I can't get her out of my head, and I can't move on until we resolve this." Leaning forward, Nick tapped the claw of his pointer finger on the tabletop, saying, "Now what did _you_ _do_ to _Judy_, Gideon. I _need_ to know. Our friendship _depends_ on it."

With his white tail-tip twitching in agitation, Gideon looked around the room for several seconds while trying to come up with a way out of this mess. He'd been feeling guilty for years for what he'd done to Judy Hopps, and he thought he'd put it to rest when he was finally able to apologize to her. But now, all that guilt came back 100-fold as he realized his actions from all those years ago had messed up her friendship with the fox sitting across from him. But admitting out loud to what he did, _especially _to the fox across from him, felt like swallowing a hornet's nest as his stomach twisted into painful knots.

After a moment of fidgeting, Gideon suddenly stood up and said, "I need to check on my pies. I, I forgot to set the timer." Heading towards the kitchen, he froze at Nick's next words.

"Gideon, you and I both know there are no pies in the oven." Pausing a moment, Nick continued as an edge entered his voice, "Now what did you do to Judy." At Gideon's continued silence, Nick's fur bristled again as he growled out, "_Gideon_."

A cold shiver ran down Gid's back as he heard the deadly undertone in Nick's growl. Although he'd been in plenty of fights growing up, it had been years since his last brawl. But Nick . . . Nick was a city fox who carried himself with an air of danger and confidence about him. And although the city fox was leaner than him, Gid had little doubt Nick packed a mean punch. And going by his growl (a growl that sounded awfully territorial), Gideon knew the fox behind him would be throwing out a lot more than just punches.

With his ears laying flat and his tail slumping to the floor, Gideon whispered, "She was about nine and I, I was eleven, I, I think." With a shake of his head, he continued, "She caught me stealing her friend's tickets from one of the festivals they throw every year." Taking a deep breath, he said, "I pushed her down and she kicked me in the muzzle, so I, I . . . I clawed her in the face." This last was said in a hushed whisper, and with this confession, Gideon fled into the kitchen.

Nick sat in stunned silence after Gideon's whispered confession for only a second before he exploded, "You _mauled_ Judy in the _face_—when she was only _nine!"_ The snarl in his voice was loud and promised pain . . . _a lot of pain_.

Gideon didn't answer as he bolted out the back door with his life flashing before his eyes. Escaping outside, the door banged loudly as he slammed it shut behind him while wondering where he could hide. Nick was a fellow fox, which meant he could track prey (Gideon suddenly knew what it felt like to _be_ prey) almost as well as a wolf—which didn't leave him many options. Hoping to hide himself in a crowd, he fled to the main street and headed towards one of the popular stores.

As silence returned to the bakery, a part of Nick wanted to chase after Gideon, to bloody his face and rearrange his insides—while the bigger part now had guilt eating at him from the inside out. Remembering how he scared Judy and stormed off without waiting for an explanation, he realized he'd probably taken the same stance Gideon had when he'd mauled her all those years ago.

_Of course_, she would be scared of him when he forced her to relive her childhood nightmare. He thought being muzzled by a bunch of prey was bad, but Judy had been _clawed_ in the _face_ by a _red fox_ when she was just a _kit!_

Pushing the pie away from him (he had lost his appetite and the pie now tasted like ash in his mouth), Nick rested his elbows on the table and dropped his head in his paws. _He was so stupid!_ Of course, she'd be prejudiced against foxes! And the fact she still stood up for him, gave him the benefit of the doubt at their first meeting, and then still risked _her life_ to save _his_ from Manchas, relied on him when they snuck into Cliffside Asylum, and even asked him to be her partner on the force showed how much she truly trusted him.

_And_, being the dumb fox that he was, he went and destroyed their friendship because he hadn't gotten over _his_ stupid muzzle incident that happened when _he_ was a _kit_. Digging his claws into his fur, he raked them through his head fur and down the back of his neck. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered to himself.

After a minute of sitting and stewing, he stood up and made his way outside. Looking around the town, he saw rabbits, prairie dogs, sheep, and a few larger mammals going about their business. And although the rabbits and prairie dogs weren't very chummy with the predators, the other large prey mammals (deer, antelope, bovine, and a donkey) _were_ friendly with them and even greeted the preds warmly. It was actually nice to see as it meant the town wasn't completely prejudiced against predators.

Glancing around at the storefronts, leafy trees, and flowering shrubs that lined the streets, Nick noticed a park with a rose garden down the street. Deciding he needed to sit and think, he made his way over to it. Upon entering the park, he saw a walking path lined with wood chips that threaded around the park. Looking around, he noticed several kits (rabbits, prairie dogs, sheep and a groundhog playing on the swing set and jungle gym that was set up, as well as some older kits (a couple of cougars, 3 deer, a badger, 2 cows, a wolf, and a teenage ram) playing basketball at a half-court on the opposite side of the field from the playground. An elderly boar couple was walking slowly around the park, while a dark brown rabbit doe was tending to one of the rose bushes in the garden.

At the back of the park, he noticed a dirt path that broke away from the main walking path and climbed a small hill that overlooked the town. Several benches were situated at the top where mammals could sit and watch the sunset . . . or just sit and think . . . which is the whole reason he was here.

Making his way to the path, he climbed the hill and sat. Looking out over the town, he tried to think what life was like for Judy growing up in a place like this. Remembering how he described Judy the first day he met her—_a small town hick with big dreams_—he realized how true, _and yet monumentally wrong_, he'd been. She showed him up and proved what a bunny could do. And if he had stuck by her, she might still be a real cop and not listlessly existing in her family's burrow. He had been such a jerk to her.

Nick spent the rest of the afternoon staring at the town and watching the cotton-ball clouds float by while he sat and thought. It wasn't until the sun was setting (and shining in his eyes) that he finally stood up and made his way back down to Gideon's bakery. The bakery was already closed, but Nick heard movement inside. Walking around to the back door, he rapped lightly on the cream-colored metal door. There was a slight pause, and then more movement inside, and then the door cracked open and Gideon looked out with a guilty, fearful expression.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. In case you were wondering, yes, we will be seeing cassowaries in this story and in reference to Judy's comment about some of the bucks slapping the cassowaries on the rump while they're sleeping as a show of courage, Cassowaries are labeled as the world's deadliest bird. They are the 3rd largest bird in the world (after ostriches and emus) and will attack without notice. They have extremely powerful legs and longer dagger-like claws that they will use to kick and slash their victims to death if given the chance. They will also peck and headbutt their victims with their hard cranial crest. And they are relentless in their pursuit and can run up to 30-35 miles an hour. They are tenacious, too, and will stick around waiting for their victims to come out of hiding if they manage to escape up a tree or into a vehicle or building.

Chapter 3: After Sunset, will post Saturday, March 21st. That's in 2 weeks instead of 3. Yay! I'll be posting the next chapter of Z:AtB next week, so you can look forward to it, and then ch3 the following week.

As always, if you have any thoughts or comments, let me know. Have a great weekend.


	3. Chapter 3: After Sunset

Judy eventually found herself atop a very familiar hill. She didn't remember how she got here (she had simply been wandering after leaving Mandy and her family's booth), but eventually she stopped at a hill overlooking the rodeo grounds. The grounds were several miles outside the city limit to ensure there would be enough room to accommodate all the participants and spectators that always showed up.

When she was younger, and needed some time to herself, Judy loved to come up here and watch the world go by, or, as was the case today, watch them set up for the event—which is what they were doing now. The fall rodeo was starting this Friday and her family was hosting it this year, so her parents and a large number of her siblings and cousins were down there setting up the rows and rows of extra metal bleachers to add to the permanent white wooden bleachers that made up the stands alongside the judges' booth and the commentator's office that overlooked the large, sand-covered arena.

She had spent a lot of time there in the stands when she was in elementary and middle school, cheering for the riders of the dangerous cassowary riding, gasping along with everyone else when the rider was bucked off and the rodeo clowns had to come out and distract the vengeful bird long enough for the rider to escape to safety (and then making a mad dash to safety themselves while the larger predators wrangled the bird back into the pen).

As exciting as the cassowary riding was, her favorite event was the barrel racing. It wasn't as dangerous, but it did require a high level of technical skill and timing, as well as a strong bond with your bird. Emus and rheas were the favorites, but the youngsters and prairie dogs had their own barrel racing event that allowed them to ride dodos. For their much smaller size (compared to rheas and emus), dodos were quite the speedy, little demons.

With a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as her mind skipped down memory lane, Judy then turned her attention back to the rodeo grounds as her siblings and cousins scrambled here and there, with some climbing over equipment and others scaling ladders, in their rush to set everything up on time. Watching her family erect all the colorful booths (orange, pink, and yellow being the main colors, but a few of the booths sported blues, greens, and lavender) for the games and food stalls, Judy recalled all the fun she had back when she was still a kit and looking at the world through rose colored glasses. Not even Gideon and his claws had knocked her _'glasses'_ off back then, and nothing since had rattled her belief that she could do anything and be anything. Mammals knocked her down and she got right back up. They said she couldn't, and she proved she could.

And once she arrived at the city, she didn't let anything set her back, no matter how hopeless it sometimes seemed. And when she met Nick, she tried all the harder to prove she was more than a 'carrot farming dumb bunny' as she'd been called all those years ago. Maybe her encounter with Gideon played a bigger role in her actions with Nick than she'd first thought. Was Gideon's words still haunting her after all this time? Is that why she dragged Nick all over Zootopia in her quest to find her missing otter? She shouldn't have. He was a civilian, and not even her C.I. so protocol said she should have cut him loose after she got her lead from him.

But she couldn't let him go. She dangled a carrot pen over his nose and made him follow her (which, she realized, he could have stolen the pen at any time and disappeared into the city—_but he didn't_). And she couldn't deny how good it felt to finally have someone there helping her, even if it was reluctantly at first. Life was finally looking up for her, and she had Nick largely to thank for it. But then she had to open her big and spout off all that specist nonsense that had no bearing on reality.

_Yes_, predators were the only ones going savage, but after some time to think about it, her excuse (the same one the badger doctor had used) couldn't possibly be correct. Manchas had been _completely_ sane when he answered the door. He wasn't even _acting_ predatory at the time. In fact, his scared and timid actions, along with his soft-spoken words, reminded her more of a _rabbit _than a _jaguar_.

One minute he was rational and talking calmly, and then _bam_, he was trying to eat them. It was like someone flipped a switch on in his brain. Or maybe turned one off—the switch that dealt with higher thinking and civilized behavior. If he was actually reverting back to his ancestral savage ways as she'd claimed, it would have been a gradual process happening over months or years—_not seconds_. It took centuries to evolve into the civilized mammals that they were, and it would be biologically impossible for them to naturally revert back at the drop of a hat—or the unlocking of a door as was the case for Manchas.

She didn't know _why_ Manchas or any of the other predators lost their sanity like they did, but because of her stupid little speech no one was even _looking_ for the real cause! They took her misguided, small-minded, specist words as facts and had given up looking for any other cause! It made her sick inside and her heart ached even worse. Instead of making the world a better place, she had destroyed it.

Staring down at her feet, Judy rubbed her toes into the thick prairie grass that grew up here on the hill. Life had been so much simpler back before she got her badge. Back before she ruined everything. Lifting her gaze, she glanced back at the sky as the sun continued its trek towards the horizon.

Avoiding the painful memories, Judy turned her attention to the rodeo arena. In the next day or two, they'd be adding more sand to it and then raking it up and smoothing it out. The sandy floor needed to be thick and soft for the events.

Picking some long grassy leaves, she tore them up and picked some more as she considered all the good memories of her time there in the arena. She hadn't been to the rodeo in years, not with her college studies and preparing for the police academy to attend to, but now she didn't have anything holding her back. She might even go this year. But then again, she might not. The only mammal she wanted to go with hated her guts and probably wouldn't be caught _dead_ in a rodeo put on by a bunch of small-town _hicks_.

Drawing her knees up and hugging them, Judy rested her cheeks on her knees as she stared off over the green fields with their rows of various vegetables, the tall, leafy trees that were planted between the fields as windbreakers, and then at the puffy white clouds that were drifting by as they skimmed over the horizon. She had never lived with regret before and she found the taste quite nauseating. Her dreams were within her grasp, but then she'd gone and been a dumb bunny in front of the whole city. Her dream of being a big city cop was like a beautiful firework—it lit up the sky with its brilliance and splendor, then died just as quickly, leaving darkness in its wake.

And her friendship with Nick—it was the first time she'd ever connected with anyone like she had with him. Being a rabbit who aspired to be a big city cop, it sometimes felt like she was trying to row up a roaring river without a paddle as she was fighting against every stereotype they had about rabbits—_stereotypes most rabbits clung to!_ It had been so aggravating growing up when so many rabbits _embraced _the stereotype of being _cute _and _timid!_ Which made her the odd rabbit out most of the time, and even an ugly duckling at times. To a rabbit—a doe with soft curves was highly sought after, not the hard, muscular body she had spent hours developing. Most rabbits, does and bucks alike, thought it was pointless and a waste of time as they didn't believe she could make it with the big mammals on the police force.

Of course, if she was working hard as an _athlete_, and was on one of the teams (football, soccer, baseball, track, rugby—any one would do), she would have been accepted with open arms (though even then, the does still maintained a little softness to their curves, unlike her). But _no_, she wanted to be a cop and work with the big mammals—to prove she was as tough as they were. Which made her the laughingstock a lot of the time. And when mammals weren't laughing, they were trying to convince her to quit, _to settle_, and stop trying to be more than a rabbit—more than a carrot farming, dumb bunny as Gideon had so _eloquently_ put it back when he'd clawed her.

But with Nick (after he stopped being jerk and started working with her) it was different. For the first time in a very long time, she felt like she could just be herself, that the fact she was a rabbit really didn't matter. He never once tried to talk her out of being a cop (he did tease her about being a meter maid, but he never told her to quit) and he was even going to be her partner on the force. And then she went and destroyed what they had by living up to the typical rabbit stereotype of being a dumb, timid bunny who didn't trust predators. And then she went and _showed _him how much she didn't trust him by threatening to _mace_ him!

Sucking in a stuttering breath, Judy rubbed the heels of her palms across her eyes as a few stray tears slipped down her cheek. She refused to cry (she had done enough of that this morning). No matter how much it hurt, she couldn't change the past. All she could do was somehow deal with the present. Taking another deep breath, she looked up at the white jet streaks in the sky that were turning a brilliant shade of orange with the setting sun, then glanced back down at the rodeo grounds.

With a sigh, she pushed the negative thoughts down and tried to picture what Nick would look like in blue jeans, a cowboy shirt, and a cowboy hat. She first tried to imagine him in a white cowboy hat, but immediately scrapped that idea. With his orange fur and green eyes, a black Stetson was the only way to go.

As the floodlights were turned on down at the rodeo grounds to dispel the darkness that began gathering as the sun dipped below the horizon, she tried to imagine Nick riding one of the Island emus her family owned. Would he, perhaps, ride with her? She used to do barrel racing when she was in high school. She didn't have as much time to put into practicing as the others who competed, but she enjoyed it as a nice break from her studies. Her last year competing she even won 3rd place—which surprised everyone since she hardly practiced at all that year, what with her trying get top grades in order to get into a good college while she was also volunteering at the sheriff's office to earn some experience.

Standing up, Judy turned back towards the burrow and made her way home while trying _not_ to think about the conversation she'd had with her sister earlier. But no matter how much she tried to refute it, she couldn't deny the things Mandy had alleged.

And so she had wandered. She had wandered the fields and countryside all afternoon trying to come up with another reason why she was so depressed and heartbroken over her and Nick's fight—_to no avail_. No matter which angle she viewed the fight from, or her own feelings that had been festering since, she could think of no other reason why her heart bled every time she thought of Nick and how she might never see him again. And so she stopped trying and decided to face the truth. That her feelings for the sly todd went way beyond simple friendship. No, she, _Judith Laverne Hopps_, was in _love _with a _fox_.

It wasn't enough for her to be the first rabbit officer of the ZPD and show up every other officer in the city by finding all the missing mammals in only 2 days without resources._ Of course, that wasn't enough_. No, she had to go and vilify every predator in the city, and in the process, she went and fell in love with one of them! As if she wasn't infamous enough already. If the news outlets caught wind of the fact she wanted to snuggle with one of the predators she had vilified, she could kiss her peaceful life goodbye. Of course, if it meant she could have Nick back, she might not mind kissing her peaceful life goodbye. With Nick, she had felt like she could be anything and do anything (without half the struggle she'd felt while trying to go it alone). And she wished she could have that back, even if all they had together was friendship (no matter how much her heart wished for more).

Mandy was right: Nick fit all her requirements for the perfect mate. He was funny, strong, supportive, trustworthy—_and_ wasn't scared off by her crazy, enthusiastic ideas. _And yet_, how did she repay him? She treated him the way her dad had raised her to—that all foxes were untrustworthy predators who wouldn't hesitate to hurt a rabbit. That it was in their _biology_ to hurt and maim.

Wiping a paw down her face, and then rubbing her forehead as she neared some of her family's barns, her thoughts continued chasing their own tails concerning her feelings (and actions) towards Nick.

She couldn't understand what made her think Nick would—_or could_—hurt her (regardless of her father's teachings). _Yes_, he bared his teeth and claws at her—_but what made her think he'd actually hurt her?_ He had risked his life to save her, stood up to her boss for her, snuck into an asylum past a pack of armed wolves (he even let her flush him down the toilet!), and in all that time he never once—_not once_—ever do anything to make her feel afraid of him, or that the thought of hurting her ever crossed his mind. He'd worried about her, supported her, believed in her, stood up for her, and trusted her. He was even willing to turn his life around just so he could continue supporting her as her partner on the force while sharing her dream (no one had _ever_ wanted to share her dream before).

Reaching the barn where they kept their birds, Judy gripped the door handle, then leaned against the door's rough wood while lightly banging her head against it. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. I have to be the dumbest bunny on the planet and the worst friend _ever_." Turning around she leaned her back against the barn door and fought back tears while staring up at the twinkling stars that had appeared in the darkening sky. The moon was out, too, but was shining brightly on the other side of the barn, which blocked it from view.

Wiping a paw across her eyes, she whispered, "Why did I have to treat Nick like that?" With a sob, she leaned over slightly and gripped her heart. "He was perfect for me, and I . . . I stabbed him in the back." She still wasn't sure Nick would have seen her as anything more than a friend, but he had stopped treating her differently, as if he no longer saw her as prey or a rabbit. Just as she'd stopped seeing Nick as just another fox—_or even a predator_—it had felt like Nick had stopped treating her like she was different from him.

It took her a while for her silent tears to dry up, but when they did, she still didn't feel like dealing with her large, noisy, nosy family. She had missed dinner some time ago but wasn't hungry, so she turned around and slipped into the barn, hoping the birds would calm her as they had when she was younger.

After flipping on the lights, she walked over to the large stalls where the dodos were kept. Leaning over the stall door, she watched the older light gray and white birds snooze while a few of the darker-colored younger birds chirped and pecked around the sawdust-strewn floor while looking for some missed fruit. There were about 2 dozen adults and half that many chicks of different ages. Her great-great grandparents used to have several dozen birds back before tractors were developed and they were still relying on the birds for ploughing the fields and pulling the wagons full of produce.

The dodos were also the perfect size for riding and were strong runners with their thick legs and streamlined bodies, though they had to be kept on a strict diet of fruit, roots, and leaves, otherwise they easily became fat and lazy. With the invention of the tractors, the dodos were now used in 4-H by the teens, ridden in some of the rodeo competitions or in parades, or used for pleasure riding. They also teamed them up to do wagon rides. Many of the poorer farmers still used the birds for ploughing and hauling produce, but they were now a dying breed as machines took over tasks that were traditionally accomplished by the thick-legged birds.

In addition to the dodos, they also had several Lesser rheas used for riding and racing (one of which she used while barrel racing in high school), along with a few Island Emus which were used for the same reason (she now preferred the emus as they had more stamina than the rheas). They even had a few hackney carriages they could hook the emus or rheas to and go for a jaunt down the country lanes.

While thinking about the much happier memories of her earlier days, Judy decided it was high time she rode again. She still had thoughts of Nick running through her head and she hoped a nice ride might _finally_ clear her mind. Grabbing a bridle while walking down to the stall holding the male emus, she opened the stall door and slipped inside. Some of the emus were standing while others were already laying down. Talking softly to the birds so as not to startle them, she made her way to one of the laying down ones (which put its head at her level). If her memory served her right, the emu was named Billy-bob (her brother was being a dork when he named it) and as she reached it, she ran her paw over its darkly-feathered head and down its blue-leathery neck, its neck being lightly covered by soft, black feathers. As the bird leaned into her paw, she smiled, then slipped the bridle over its beak.

After buckling it on, she whispered softly to the large bird and tugged on the reins. It took a couple of tugs and some encouragement, but then Billy-bob stood and shook out its shaggy, dark-brown feathers. Judy quickly led it from the stall, made sure the door was closed securely, then brought her mount over to the tack room where the saddles were kept. Looping the reins around the hitching post, Judy entered the tack room and flicked on the light, then looked around until she found the saddle she used back in high school. After dusting it off, she brought it out and threw it over the emu's back.

Billy-bob was an older bird and was well trained, so he didn't fight her about getting saddled. After leading him to the barn door, they slipped out and then closed the door. Putting her foot into the stirrup, she swung into the saddle and turned Billy-bob's head towards the road. As she was riding out, someone hollered from the back porch. Judy turned the emu towards the house and road over to see her brother standing there in shock at seeing her.

"Hey, Mark, did you need something?"

_"__Judy?"_ the dark-chocolate buck asked incredulously.

Grinning, Judy replied, "Yep, it's me."

"You're actually riding?" He glanced up at the darkening sky and bright moonlight, then back at his sister. "_At night!?"_

Judy laughed. "What, you don't think I'm scared of a few shadows, do you?" Although rabbits had terrible night vision, the moon was nearly full which shed plenty of light to make out the road. Of course, she wouldn't trust herself to ride across the fields, but there was nothing in the road to trip her or Billy-bob up.

As Mark continued giving her a weird look, she added, "Come on, you know I used to go night riding all the time back in high school. So, what's the problem now?"

Mark shook his head. "Whatever you say, sis."

Judy grinned at him (and actually felt somewhat happy for the first time in months), then said, "If anybody asks, I'll be back later." As she turned Billy-bob around, she waved back at her brother and said, "Tell mom and dad not to wait up for me."

"You know mom's going to be waiting up no matter what you say." Judy laughed again and Mark shook his head one last time. His sister had been depressed for more than a month now, so to see her laughing while going on a night ride was hard to imagine. He just hoped she stuck to the roads and nothing happened to her. Mom and dad were worried enough about her without her going out and getting herself hurt riding in the dark. At least, Billy-bob was a dependable mount and didn't spook easily.

Rubbing a dark paw over his head and down the back of his neck, Mark turned and headed back inside while wondering if his sister's good mood would last.

….….

Nick stood outside the back door of the bakery with a light breeze ruffling his fur as the sliver of light from the cracked door highlighted a vertical line of orange fur and blue shirt, while leaving rest in gloomy darkness (the building blocked the moonlight, leaving the back door in dark shadows). Meeting his fellow fox's fearful expression, Nick held up his paws and said calmly, "I'm not here to pick a fight."

Gideon's ears perked up a bit as he said through the crack in the door, "You're not?" He was still skeptical about the other todd's reason for being here.

Nick shook his head with his ears relaxed. "I need your help." The breeze blew a little harder and kicked up some of the dirt and leaves laying on the ground. Flicking his tail up, Nick tried to keep the worst of the dirt from lodging in his fur.

Gideon's ears immediately pricked forward, and he opened the door a little wider. "You do?"

Nick nodded and said, "I need to talk to Judy. Seeing as the Hopps aren't very welcoming to strange predators, Saline said you would be my best bet."

Chuckling, Gideon snorted and said, "Ain't that the truth." Opening the door a bit wider, he paused and then asked, "You sure you ain't here to beat me up?" Waking up in an ICU room at the hospital wasn't how he wanted his night to go—or the coming days.

Nick shook his head again, then ran a paw down the back of his neck as he looked off to the side. "I won't lie and say the thought didn't cross my mind earlier," Nick began, then glanced back to meet Gideon's worried, light-blue eyes, and added, "But you were a jerk to Judy when you were both kits. _I_ was a jerk to Judy just four months ago, so I unless I want to beat myself up first—I really don't have any call to hurt you." With a slight grin and head tilt, Nick added, "Besides, that's between you and Judy, so if she wants to beat you up," he held his paws up, "that's her prerogative."

Gideon's grin returned, and he said, "Ah, shucks, I, I met Judy a month ago and apologized. She didn't hold it against me or nothin." Opening the door all the way, he stood back and said, "Come on in."

Nick didn't hesitate to enter and then followed Gideon to the long table that split the bakery's large-sized kitchen in half. The room had a high ceiling and the floor had white and blue tiles wet in a checker-board pattern. Setting up to one of the dark, wooden chairs, he pulled it out to sit, then looked up and asked, "I . . . don't suppose you still have the other half of my pie lying around . . . do you?" At Gideon's ear flick, Nick elaborated, "I . . . kinda missed dinner and now I'm starving."

"Well, we can't have that, Nick. Hows about a turkey sandwich first?"

Nick's ears immediately perked up. "Turkey? You have turkey?" Although they sold turkey and chicken in the city, it was extremely expensive which meant he usually stuck with bug products or seafood.

"Well, yeah," Gideon said, "You can buy all kinds of turkey products here in town."

Nick's tail wagged as he licked his chops and watched Gideon pull out the ingredients for his sandwich from the large, silver walk-in fridge: sliced turkey, dark leafy lettuce, a tomato, pickles, and several slices of cheddar cheese, along with miracle whip and mustard.

Glancing over his shoulder at Nick, Gideon asked, "Don't they have turkey in Zootopia?"

Nick flicked his ear. "They do, but it's really expensive. Unless you have connections, it's hard for us foxes to come by the good stuff."

Gideon nodded in understanding as he fixed Nick's sandwich. "Well, it wasn't always so easy to buy it out here, but back in my grandpappy's day, several turkey farms were opened up between Bunnyburrow and Deer Hollow. And there are several chicken farms outside of Elk Meadow."

"You don't say?" Nick murmured. Gideon pawed him the sandwich a minute later and he took a huge bite. "Hmmm," he groaned in utter bliss as he died and went to heaven (it had been a long time since he'd had turkey—and never any this good or fresh). After swallowing his bite, he wiped his mouth and glanced up at Gideon, saying, "I have to say, Gid, I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in Zootopia, but nothing they got comes even close to what you guys have here." Motioning to the sandwich, and then the baked goods in the other room, he said, "This sandwich, your pies, the food I ate over at Grandma Hopps' diner—nothing in Zootopia can compare to the food out here."

Gideon's tail began wagging at the huge compliment and he and Nick spent the next hour talking about food and comparing the differences between packaged city food and fresh country food. Gideon even brought out a peach cobbler he'd baked earlier and the two split it for dessert. As the evening progressed, Gid realized he found a kindred spirit in the red todd across from him. Being both red foxes, they had more in common than most other mammals, and with them both being picked on and bullied when they were younger, it was nice to finally meet another mammal who could empathize with him on such a deep, personal level.

Leaning back in his chair and patting his now very round belly, Nick tilted his head back and closed his eyes while grinning. "Gid, I'm going to get fat if I keep eating here."

Gideon merely laughed while glancing over the tall, lean form of his new friend. "If ya ask me, you could stand to put on a few pounds, Nick."

Nick shook his head without lifting his head or opening his eyes. "I'm an Animalia Red Fox—we're supposed to be tall and skinny." Motioning towards Gideon with his head still resting against the back of the chair, he continued, "You obviously descended from the Europaw Red Foxes—you're supposed to be short and stout."

"I guess," Gideon murmured while scratching his neck. He hadn't done the greatest in school, even without the bullying, so he hadn't heard about there being two different red fox breeds. Back here in the country, red foxes were just red foxes. Studying the red fox across from him as he sprawled back in the chair, it was obvious to Gideon that Nick was much smarter than himself and if not for the bullying, he probably would've graduated high school as an honor student. It was a shame that no one gave him a chance for no other reason than he was a fox.

With a grin, Nick sat up and leaned over the table and pointed to Gideon, saying, "Besides, how am I supposed to keep up with Fluff when I find her if I let you fatten me up?"

Gideon cocked his head as his bushy tail swayed slowly behind him. "Fluff?"

Nick nodded eagerly and answered, "_Judy_. Fluff is one of my nicknames for her."

"She lets you call her names?" Growing up, he knew Judy didn't like being called different names (not that it stopped her siblings or the kits at school). Her dad and siblings liked to call her Jude the Dude, which she disliked as it made her seem more tomboyish than she already was. And the few times she actually was interested in something girly, her sisters teased her about the sudden interest and how it didn't suit her. She grumbled about it, but since her dad was the one who started it, she kept her grumblings to a minimum.

In middle school and high school, a lot of kits called her Jude the Prude because she liked to dress conservatively and wasn't into the whole dating craze. Nor did she hide the fact that she felt bucks were a waste of her time or a distraction from her goal of becoming a cop. This led to a lot of bunnies calling her Prickly Pear, the Bunnyburrow Ice Queen, Crazy Jude, or Lame-brain Judy the Wanna-be Cop.

She didn't particularly like the Prickly Pear name, but she couldn't deny that when it came to dealing with other rabbits, she became a bit stiff and terse with them. She actually got along better with other mammals than rabbits as they didn't have the same expectations of her. Crazy Jude and Lame-brain Judy irritated her the most and she got into quite a few scuffles in middle school over those two. By high school, most rabbits had learned not to call her these particular names within hearing distance (even if they were thinking it more than ever). The only name Judy didn't mind was the Bunnyburrow Ice Queen. In fact, she embraced the Ice Queen nickname and wasn't above busting noses when bucks tried getting pawsy with her.

Thinking about Judy in middle school and high school, Gideon realized they had a lot in common. He had been feeling guilty about clawing Judy ever since he started attending his therapy sessions, but now, he realized that if he hadn't been such a mess of angry nerves and low self-esteem when he was younger, he and Judy might have become good friends.

With a heavy sigh, he stared at the blue and white glazed tiles that covered the floor, even as his tail slumped in regret. There were so many things he wished he could do over in his life—and treating Judy a lot better when he was younger was at the top of his list.

Nick shrugged as he looked towards the darkened window while thinking of his time with Judy. "She didn't like it at first, but after our wild otter chase it just became habit. She stopped complaining about them and now answers them readily enough, so I assume she likes them now." With another wide grin, he turned his gaze back to Gideon and swiped a paw through the air as he added, "Trust me when I say, Judy has _no_ problems letting me know when I'm bugging her."

Gideon nodded with an ear flick, then asked, "And you want me to help you talk to her?" Although Judy had forgiven him, he didn't feel that a simple _'I'm sorry'_ was good enough for what he'd done to her while they were kits, so if he could help her reconnect with Nick, then maybe he could redeem himself—at least a little bit.

Nodding, Nick explained, "Saline said you deliver pies to her family's roadside booth and that she sometimes works there during the day."

"Well, ya, she was manning the booth today," (Nick immediately perked up), "but I doubt she'll be back this week."

Nick's ears folded back. "Huh? Why?"

Gideon shrugged. "She only comes out ta the booth about once a week."

"Oh." Nick's tail slumped to the floor and he deflated a bit. He had arrived a day late—_talk about bad luck!_

"I, I can take you out there in the morning and you can talk to whoever is there at the booth, maybe give them a message to pass on to Judy."

Nick nodded but wasn't excited by the prospect. "I don't suppose you could drive me out to her place and introduce me?"

Gideon's ears immediately flattened against his head. "If her mom, Bonnie, was going to be there I could, but she and Stu are out at the rodeo grounds setting everything up for this Friday." Looking at the ground, Gideon fidgeted with his paws a moment, then said quietly, "Most of Judy's siblings don't like me and, well, the Hopps clan is well-known for having mammals arrested for trespassing."

Nick's ears disappeared behind his head and his jaw dropped with a look of horror. Snapping his mouth shut with a clack of sharp teeth even as his tail-tip twitched anxiously, he stated, "When you say _mammals_ . . . you mean _predators_, don't you?"

Gideon gave a slight nod. "Most of the time, yeah. So, unless Judy is above ground when we arrive, her siblings might call the sheriff on ya."

Nick dropped one arm on the table while raising his other paw and resting his elbow on the table then dropping his forehead in his open palm. Raking his claws through his head fur, he looked back up and asked in a dismal voice, "Judy's siblings aren't very likely to pass a message along, are they?"

Flicking an ear, Gideon said, "Depends on who ya talk to and whether or not they see you as a threat."

"A threat?" Nick's ears folded back again as he was starting feel like the Junior Rangers Scouts' meeting all over again.

Gideon nodded. "I, I didn't give them the best impression of foxes." At Nick's nod, Gideon added, "You're also from the city and Judy came back from the city all depressed."

Nick nodded again. "They'll probably assume I'm part of the problem." _And they wouldn't be completely wrong_, he thought as a wave of guilt hit him like a tsunami. He knew that Judy would have survived the city a lot better if he hadn't walked out on her. She might even still be a cop, who knew? And even if she still felt the need to turn in her badge when Bellwether wanted to make her the poster kit of the ZPD, she wouldn't have needed to come home alone and depressed. He could have come back with her. And even if she didn't want him to stay (though he hoped she would), he could have at least escorted her home and made her homecoming a little more bearable. _And_—he wouldn't be sitting here now trying to figure out how to get a hold of her without winding up in a jail cell. Nick's ears folded back and his tail slumped to the ground as he realized just how much of the problem he really was.

Gideon didn't answer, but after a moment, he said, "If you stick around for the rodeo that opens Friday afternoon, I'm sure her siblings will drag her out to it."

Nick's ears immediately perked up and his tail began wagging. "You guys are having a rodeo? A _real _rodeo? With cassowary riding and rodeo clowns—the whole nine yards?"

Gideon grinned. "Well, shucks, Nick, you can't have a rodeo without the cassowary riding!" Slapping the table, he added, "That's what makes a rodeo a rodeo!"

"But they're like the deadliest birds on the planet! Aren't the riders afraid of getting kicked to death or their eyes pecked out after getting bucked off!?"

Gideon shrugged. "I guess that's the thrill—coming that close to death and yet walking away." With a tail wag and perked up ears, he added, "Besides, the winner's cup comes with a heavy chunk of change."

Nick nodded, but still looked skeptical. "I'll take your word for it." He had done some risky things in his past—selling Mr. Big that stupid rug being the top one—but riding an angry cassowary in a rodeo just seemed suicidal. He valued his life and all his body parts too much to take that kind of risk.

Gideon chuckled. "Come on, you might actually have some fun." Although he had never participated in any of the events, Gideon always enjoyed going and watching the skills of those who did. And now that he had his bakery up and running, he had already signed up to run a pastry booth this year. Since the bakery hadn't been running in full swing until this month, Gideon had signed up late, which meant he couldn't get the most ideal location (his spot was way in the back and far from any picnic tables). But he still hoped to do some good advertising, and next year, he hoped to get a slot with a view of the arena. That way his customers could still glimpse what was happening as they bought their sugary treats.

Nick tilted his head as he studied the round fox across from him. He had never considered attending a rodeo before, but Gideon's enthusiasm was starting to affect him because he was actually considering it. But no matter how enjoyable it was, he knew it would only be half as much fun if a certain some_bunny_ didn't show up. "And you're sure Judy will be there?"

"The rodeo lasts for a week, so I can almost guarantee she'll come—whether she wants to or not." At Nick's questioning look, Gideon elaborated, "Like I said—her siblings will drag her there at some point. Her parents are really pushing her to get out the burrow in the hopes she'll get over depression." With his face brightening, he added, "Here's somethin' about Judy you probably didn't know—she used to barrel race a rhea in high school. Even got third place her senior year."

Nick's ears perked up. "Barrel racing? What's that? And are rheas the only birds used in the event or can you ride some of the others?" He knew cassowary riding was the main event of rodeos, but he didn't know anything about the other events. Rodeos weren't exactly big events in Zootopia. Instead, bird racing was huge as there were several racetracks and arenas up in the Meadowlands where road runners, rheas, emus, and ostriches were raced. And down in Sahara Square there was a huge track where the Zootopia Derby was held each year. Ostrich riders from all over the country would come to race, with the stakes reaching astronomical numbers when it came to the bets.

That was another risky venture he'd tried—_and failed_—when he was nineteen. The memory of the loan sharks chasing him through the back allies and sewers of Zootopia still sent a chill down his spine and tail, especially since they wanted his tail—_literally_—as payment when he came up short. Lucky, he hadn't had a lot of money to bet and so he was able to pay it back—_eventually_. But the nightmares of that time still sometimes haunted him and had him looking over his shoulder more than normal for a city fox.

Gideon waved his paws through the air. "Besides the cassowary riding, barrel racing is one of the other main events at the rodeos." With his tail wagging excitedly behind him, Gideon grinned widely as he tilted his head in thought and explained, "Usually Lesser rheas or one of the Island emus are ridden by the rabbits and slightly bigger mammals, with the larger mammals riding the Greater rheas and the Mainland or Tasmanian emus. Judy was riding a Lesser rhea, which are really fast and can turn on a dime, but they don't have much stamina. Emus are better if'n ya have a long way ta go and a short time ta get there." Shaking his head, he turned his focus back to Nick. "In barrel racing, three barrels are set up in a triangular pattern and the riders have ta sprint their birds towards them, and then race in and around them. The closer ta the barrels ya get, the better the time, and the ones with the fastest time win."

Nick flicked an ear and his tail swayed behind him as he tried to picture Judy racing one of the birds around the barrels. He still had a hard time picturing Judy as anything but a cop, but he could see the appeal she found in racing. With her speed and agility, riding a bird in an event that also required speed and agility suited her. Meeting Gideon's blue-eyed gaze, he asked, "And Judy won 3rd place?"

Gideon nodded as he wagged his finger at Nick. "Ya, and it's funny, too, 'cause she was too busy study'n to do much practicin, but still won."

Nick's tail wagged a little faster as he pictured Judy winning a medal even though she was being too much of a bookworm to practice. With a grin spreading across his face, Nick asked, "And what other events are there?" He was suddenly finding himself very interested in the rodeo—especially if he was able to attend it with Judy. That thought had his grin spreading across his whole face as his green eyes brightened with excitement.

Gideon leaned back and scratched his neck while he said, "Next main event would be the lizard wranglin, and the dressage contest after that. They have scaled down events for the kits and prairie dogs, too, who ride the dodos."

Nick nodded while rubbing his chin. He wasn't surprised the prairie dogs only rode dodos. With their short arms and legs, and their desire to stay close to the ground (or under it), Nick doubted they were brave enough to ride anything taller. Although rabbits were known for being cute and timid, prairie dogs were just _timid_.

While leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling, Nick thought about the last two events Gideon had just mentioned. He knew the dressage event was where the riders dressed up in their country best, groomed their birds till they shined (usually dressed them up, too, in flashy saddles and bridles), then strutted their stuff around the arena. The lizard wrangling, though, intrigued him as he had only heard about it in passing. "Lizard wrangling is when the rider chases those giant monitor lizards across the arena, and have to rope them, isn't it?"

Gideon nodded, then held up two fingers, explaining, "Yeah, but it takes two riders to do it, as one has to lasso its mouth shut and stop its run, then his partner jumps off his bird to flip the lizard over and rope one of its back legs to its opposite front leg."

"But isn't that almost as dangerous as the cassowary riding? Monitors lizards have sharp teeth, wicked claws, and that whip-like tail. How do they keep from getting themselves or their birds injured?" Nick asked.

Gideon nodded as he pointed a clawed finger at his new friend, "That's where superb birdmanship comes in and excellent teamwork. Ya have to be one with your bird and one with your partner."

Nick nodded again while he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms while looking out the darkened window. He figured that if he got himself a good bird and learned to ride it, that he and Judy would make an excellent team. Although he'd rather sit back and watch such an event, he could totally see Judy wanting to do it if she had the right partner—which meant _him_ if she decided to give it a try. And, _strangely enough_, if she asked, he'd do it—_for her_.

With a flick of his ear as he thought about the immediate future and his need to contact Judy, Nick turned his attention back to Gideon. "Okay, since it's Monday night, I have three and a half days to try and get a message to her, and if that fails, I just need to look for Judy at the rodeo." At Gideon's nod, Nick then asked, "So where do you suggest I stay for a week or more? I don't want to be clear broke when I see Judy."

Gideon didn't immediately reply as he sat back to think. At his silence, Nick's ears drooped. "There aren't any cheap places to rent around here?" This surprised him as the clothing store he'd been to earlier was pretty cheap (without _being_ cheap).

"Well, there are several places you could get a room for a couple of days, but with the rodeo startin this week, a lot will be already booked up starting Wednesday night. There is one place that will still have vacancies after Wednesday, but it's kinda a dump. Wouldn't recommend it." Gideon grimaced while thinking of the place. "It's run by a large, bad-tempered boar who doesn't like most mammals. He keeps the large mammal rooms fairly clean and kept up, but he despises small mammals, and so doesn't clean the rooms very often. And he has the hot water turned off in the small mammal rooms."

Nick's ears splayed back and his tail lashed irritably as he exclaimed, "How does he stay in business then!"

Gideon shrugged again and scratched behind his ear. "He inherited the place from his uncle, but he never cared much about it. Found it more a chore really, as he'd rather be huntin, fishin, and drinkin rather than run the place." Dropping his paw, he added, "Ta stay in business, he charges larger mammals extra, since he cleans their rooms and keeps ta furniture in better condition."

Raking his claws through his head fur, Nick exclaimed, "Are you saying I have to camp out in my car for a week then!?" He loved his car but sleeping in it for a week was out of the question. You don't get his good looks and sleek, fluffy coat without frequent showers and plenty of conditioner. Nor would he subject his classic car to that of being a motel room! It was in mint condition and his pride and joy, and he wasn't going to ruin its image by having dirty clothes and food wrappers cluttering up its back. He'd buy a tent and camp out by the river first.

Nick's ear perked up a bit at this thought, as he realized it wasn't a bad idea. Did they have camping areas around here? Ones with real bathrooms and showers? Surely, they did. This was countryside, for Pete's sake!

Gideon's own ears splayed back as he thought of the fox across from him sleeping uncomfortably in his car—a fox he was already thinking of as a long, lost friend. Gideon didn't have many close friends, but he knew that if he'd met Nick when they were younger, things might have turned out differently for him. He might even have been able to shave off a year or two of therapy—or maybe not even have needed it at all. Who knew? "Well, no, but . . ." Gideon scratched his neck again, then said, "If'n it won't bother you, you can stay with me here at the bakery."

Nick's ears immediately perked all the way forward and his tail began to wag, then he looked around at the tall cabinets, long counters, and industrial-sized appliances (stove/oven, walk-in fridge, large freezer), and the large pantry (there were two wooden doors in the back, with one being clearly labeled _Pantry_. He assumed the other one led to the bathroom and storage room). Puzzled, he looked back at Gideon and asked, "Here at the bakery?"

Gideon laughed lightly, then waved towards the ceiling and explained, "There's a three-bedroom apartment built above the bakery. You can stay in the guestroom if'n ya want."

Nick's tail began wagging faster, and he asked, "Really? I can?" At Gideon's nod, he asked, "How much will you charge?"

Gideon splayed his ears back and shook his paw out in front of him. "Nothing," he said, "It's free."

"Really?" Nick asked skeptically. Mammals never gave things away for free (except Judy—he still owed her the $20 he hustled from her)—_there was always a catch_.

At Nick's suspicious question, Gideon explained, "It's the least I can do." Scratching his throat while staring at the counter where one of his large mixing bowls sat, he added, "It's kinda my fault you and Judy had a falling out . . . and that her siblings may chase you off the property or have ya arrested if you showed up without her or her parents around."

Nick simply stared for a moment, then a wide grin spread across his face. "Well, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Let me get my car and you can show me around." Standing up, he made his way to the back door but stopped when Gideon spoke up again.

"Hey, Nick, if, if, you're worried about money, I, I could hire you part-time if, if'n you don't mind working here in, in the bakery."

Nick's ears perked up again and he quickly glanced around the large, well-stocked kitchen. Turning his focus back to Gideon, he answered, "I'd be honored to work for you." With a wide grin and his tail wagging, Nick added, "I've never done much baking—_as in never_—but I do know my way around a kitchen. One of these nights I'll have to bake you my famous lasagna." Kissing his fingers and then waving them in the air, he added, "It's to die for." Pointing his clawed-finger at Gideon, he said, "Oh, and my chicken enchiladas. I don't get to cook them often, but if chicken's cheap out here, I'll definitely make you some."

Gideon's ears perked up and his own tail was wagging. "It's a deal, Nick." Nick nodded to him, and Gideon watch him turn and slip out the back door. When the city fox first showed up at his door, Gideon feared he'd be sleeping fitfully in a hospital bed tonight while doped up on pain meds and attached to a bunch of beeping, irritating medical instruments, but now—he was really looking forward to the coming week.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the world building I did in this chapter. Next chapter, Judy will continue her ride and Nick and Gideon will discuss various things that will reveal more of Nick's past.

Chapter 4: Thoughts of the Past, will post on Friday, March 27. I'm going to start posting Friday evenings, instead of Saturday morning. If you have any thoughts or comments, let me know.

****About the Birds I'm using in the story****

**Ostriches** are obviously the largest flightless birds and come from Africa. They're pretty well known, so I won't say much about them here.

**Emus** are the second tallest bird in the world, standing at 4.9-6.2 ft (1.2-1.9 meters). They come from mainland Australia and can run up to 30 mph and will travel long distances in search of food. Although all emus today originated in Australia, back in the 1802 when the birds were discovered by Europeans, there were also emus on the island of Tasmania, Kangaroo Island, and King Island. The Tasmanian emu was about the same size as the Mainland emu as Tasmania is a fairly large island. The Kangaroo Island emus (called just Island emus in my story), are much smaller and were extinct by 1827. They had a dark/black body and most of their neck covered by thick white feathers. The King Island emus are the smallest breed (I will be referring to them as Dwarf emus in my story) and are dark brown and black with a streak of naked blue skin from their eyes down their necks. Due to hunting and fires, the settlers had taken only three years to kill off the King Island emus, making them extinct by 1805. There were two live emus they had captured and taken to Paris, where they died in 1822. They were the last of their kind.

In my story, the birds obviously weren't killed off as it was intelligent animals who discovered them and would have seen their use in domesticating them.

**Cassowaries** are the third largest birds in the world and are much heavier and muscular than the slender emus (which makes them the 2nd-heaviest birds in the world). There are 3 species: the Southern cassowary is the largest standing at almost 6 feet tall. The Northern cassowary stands nearly 5 feet tall. And the Dwarf cassowary stands at 3 feet tall. They all live in New Guinea, Northeastern Australia, and surrounding islands. They can jump 7 feet high and run up to 30 mph. And yes, they are considered the most dangerous birds on the planet as people are chased and attacked by them every year. They have been known to peck, head-butt, and kick their victims during an attack. They, like the emus, have a large claw on each of their feet (that can be 5 inches long in the southern cassowary) that acts like a knife which they will slash with. Even if you keep your distance, they might still decide to attack you. Be wary of them.

In my story, Cassowaries have been domesticated like the other birds, so some of their vicious tendencies have been bred out, but the ones used in the rodeos still retain their thirst for blood and a good kicking.

**Rheas** are the fourth largest flightless birds and have two species: the Greater rheas, being the largest, and the Lesser rheas, being much smaller. Both come from South America, with the Lesser rhea found mostly in the southern part of South America. They are extremely fast runners and run with their necks nearly horizontal to the ground.

**Dodo** birds were discovered in 1598 on the island of Mauritius near Madagascar, and by 1681 they were extinct. Dodos are cousins to the pigeon and scientist figure they were just as smart and trainable as modern pigeons going by their brain-to-body ratio. They were not stupid but had no fear of humans because there were no predators living on their island to teach them fear. They had a large, muscular, streamlined body, standing 3.3 feet tall (a meter) and weighing 22-40 pounds. They could run very fast when they wanted to as sailors complained about how hard they were to catch when they decided to run. The term 'fat and lazy' used to describe dodos had something to do with the captured ones that were taken to Europe and were fed table scraps and not allowed to run—so yes, they became fat and lazy.

Contrary to popular belief, Dodos didn't become extinct due to hunting, for sailors and explorers found their meat tough and unpleasant tasting. What killed the birds was loss of habitat as their forests were cleared, and the release of pigs, goats, deer, monkeys, and rats. The pigs ate their eggs and chicks, while the other animals would have competed with the dodos for food.

In my story, Dodos were obviously domesticated and not killed off.

**Roadrunners** are mentioned briefly, and are found in the south-western and south-central United States and Mexico. Although they aren't flightless, they are excellent runners, being clocked at 20-27 mph. They will be ridden by mice and other tiny mammals in my story.

If anyone wants to know more about the Monitor lizards in my story, I'll doing a footnote with them when we see them at the rodeo.


	4. Chapter 4: Thoughts of the Past

Judy enjoyed her ride by moonlight. It was a beautiful, clear night with the nearly full moon highlighting the road she rode upon. Her Island emu, Billy-bob, was surefooted and his gait was fairly smooth as he trotted along the dim road. The silence of the night was soothing to her ears as the stars spread out above her, twinkling like bright, studded jewels in the fabric of space. The dark stillness of the night helped calm her agitated mind as it always did. She wasn't sure what the reason was, exactly, but riding always helped her clear her mind and put things in perspective.

And what she needed to put in perspective the most were her feelings for Nick. It still surprised her with the depth of her emotions for the sly todd. How could she fall for a male after only 3 days of knowing him? And a male who was so different from her own species? It wouldn't be so shocking if he were a hare (like her sister surmised) or even a prairie dog or a pica—_but a fox?_ _A predator?_ Although inter-species relationships were gaining ground with the rising generation—a relationship between pred and prey was completely unheard of.

With a shake of her head, Judy thought of her options here in town—the options her _parents _would approve of. Thinking of her parents had Judy rolling her eyes. They were from the older generation and still not sold on interspecies relationships, though they did finally stop complaining about her siblings dating hares and picas—both cousins to rabbits—and they only grumbled a little when one of her siblings brought home a prairie dog girlfriend or boyfriend. The only consolation her parents had was that it didn't happen very often (most rabbits still preferred other rabbits when it came to choosing a mate, and most of her siblings still felt the same way).

With a heavy sigh, Judy thought of the dates her parents (_aka, her mom_) had set her up on and knew _exactly_ why she was never interested in males of her own species or any of the other small prey species—they were all too plain, too boring, too . . . too _normal_.

Nothing new or exciting ever happened with them. With them it was just the same, day in and day out, and they were fine with keeping it that way. The thought of trying new things or leaving the small town to explore bigger and better things never crossed their mind. And whenever she suggested they try something a little out of the ordinary (there were a couple of cave systems in the area she enjoyed exploring, but other than a few of her more daring siblings and cousins, the only mammals willing to go with her were her predator friends or a few of the larger prey mammals) or move their _'parties'_ to a different location (another part of the lake or further up or down river) they all looked at her like she'd grown a second head or something. It drove her crazy! Would it _kill_ them to broaden their horizon just a _little!?_

And of course, she didn't want to think about their snide comments or put downs for her dream of becoming a big city cop. No one thought she could do it, but even if she had made it (which she did), several of the males she showed some slight interest in (her interest never went past a second glance due to their attitudes), they said that being tied to a cop would be too much—what with her long hours at work and dangerous work environment. And all those large predators she'd be working with and around—few of the smaller prey here in Bunnyburrow wanted to rub shoulders with lions, tigers, and bears (there were a few mountain lions and tigers here in Bunnyburrow, but they were few in number).

_But then there was __**Nick**_. Not only was he a predator (and so wasn't frightened by other predators, no matter how much bigger), but he already lived in the city and had a wealth of information you couldn't find out here in the country. He knew things. He knew places. And he knew people. And if she ever found Nick again, and if they ever figured out the cause of the savage attacks and stopped them, then she would definitely hire Nick as her personal tour guide of Zootopia. She was sure he knew all the best, the most interesting, and all the little-known parts of the city that were hidden from view. And she would love to hear his stories as he showed them to her.

Besides being a walking database, Nick was also dependable. And although he might prefer running to sticking around during a fight, when the chips were down, he was there when no one else was. And he never once left her. Even when common sense said he should turn tail and run (she couldn't forget how he missed the gondola when Manchas attacked because he was worried about her)—he _never _abandoned her. And who else would stand up to her boss—_a massive water buffalo who had __**her**__ intimidated_—just so she could have the chance to prove she had what it took to be a real cop? His courage, determination, and perseverance had grabbed her attention and, _if she was being honest_, was probably when he stole her heart. How could she _not_ be impressed by a male of Nick's caliber?

But simply helping her on this one case wasn't enough for Nick. He took it a step further and was going to _join_ her in her dream, to be her partner on the force. Nick hadn't been happy simply supporting her from the sidelines but had wanted to continue working with her on the frontlines. He wanted to help her prove to the world how strong a bunny could be. And to do so, _he_ was willing to turn his _whole life_ around—_for her_.

With everything he'd done for her, and was willing to do for her, how could she _not_ love him? And she couldn't deny that his reddish-orange fur, triangular ears, and pointed snout had grown on her. _And his fluffy tail_—she couldn't forget his fluffy tail. She never thought much about his tail when she was with him before, but now she found herself fascinated with the furry appendage and wondered if it was as soft as it looked. She had a strong desire to bury her face in it just to find out. As her sister had said—_what's there not to love?_

But even if _she_ had fallen for _him_ in a short three days, could she say the same about _Nick?_ Mandy said if he was as great as she said he was, then he would eventually forgive her, but was their time together long enough to form that strong of a bond on his part? And could he forgive her when she was just the last mammal on a long list of mammals who had betrayed him and stabbed him in the back? She was sure her betrayal was far worse than the muzzling incident when he was nine for the simple reason that he had _trusted_ her more. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood up to Bogo for her, agreed to sneak into an abandoned asylum with her, nor would he have agreed to become a cop for her.

The muzzling incident when he was nine had taught him to give people what they expected to see—a sly, untrustworthy fox. And yet he trusted her enough to go against everything he'd been taught—_everything he __**believed**_—and to join the police force, an institution which heavy discriminated against foxes. And yet he would do it . . . _for her_.

And how did she repay him? She turned around and said such specist things about him (not specifically, but in saying them about predators in general, she had said them about him). And then when he confronted her about them, how did she act? She completely disregarded his feelings and refused to listen to what he had to say as she was set in her own way of thinking and didn't want to see any other view. In her mind, she was right, and that's all there was to it.

Remembering what happened next had her ears drooping a second before she exclaimed, "Ahh! Why did I have to react like a stereotypical bunny!" Slappy a paw to her face, she rubbed her palm angrily against her forehead. Her sudden anguished yell broke the silence of the night and scared a pheasant sleeping in the grass who took off in a panicked flight.

Her sudden yell also startled Billy-bob who squawked loudly and ruffled his feathers. With a quick side-step, he turned his head around to glare at her for disturbing his peace of mind.

With the moonlight still shining brightly above her, Judy reached over and patted the bird's black, feathered blue head. "Sorry, Billy-bob," she murmured. She hadn't intended to startle him or the pheasant, but the look of betrayal on Nick's face when she reacted fearfully towards him ate at her heart. His anger she could deal with. As her sister pointed out earlier, Nick's anger would eventually cool down. No one stays angry forever, but the sense of betrayal he felt at her reaction—that was not something that could so easily be forgotten . . . _or forgiven_. What reason had she given him to forgive her? Or want to be friends with her again? Why would he even want to see her again? She had set herself up as just another hateful face in the crowd.

With her heart bleeding at the thought of never seeing his smug face again, Judy turned Billy-bob around and headed back to the house. She had been so lost in thought that she'd ridden much farther out than she'd anticipated and now had a long way still to go before she made it back home. With the moonlight high in the inky-black sky and just starting its downward trek towards its bed for the day, and with the stars still twinkling brightly above her, Judy took a deep breath of the cool night air and tried to bury the pain in her heart. But as the cool breeze ruffled her short, gray fur, she knew it was a losing battle.

….….

It didn't take long for Nick to pick up his convertible and pull into the parking spot at the back of the bakery. Gideon had turned on the backdoor light and so the parking spot was lit up, which contrasted starkly with the blackened alleyway of the surrounding street and buildings.

As Nick stepped out of his car, Gideon met him at the door with his jaw slack as he took in the fully restored 1970 Triumph TR6.

"That's . . . that's your car!" Gideon stammered while his eyes ate up the sight of the classic black sports car, with its soft, black top, round headlights, chrome bumper, hubcaps, and round sideview mirrors with their slight bullet shape. He also took notice of the slim crimson-orange stripe on the tires that circled the hubcaps.

Patting the hood, Nick said, "Yes, yes, it is." Glancing at the sleek, black body, he murmured, "1970 Triumph TR6. Isn't she a beauty?"

Gideon merely nodded, then exclaimed, "Where did ya find it!? And how could ya afford it!?"

Nick simply chuckled. "Buying her was easy since she was a bucket of rust when me and Finn stumbled across her. _Now_—fixing her up and restoring her—_that_ was a challenge and a half."

Gideon could only nod as he stepped away from the back door and towards the car. Walking around the classic black sports car, he marveled at the sleek design and eye for detail in its restoration. Running a paw lightly over the slick black paint, he asked, "Have you entered it into any classic car shows?"

"Uh, _no_," Nick replied. At Gideon's questioning glance, he explained, "One, with a fox entering something like this," he motioned towards his car, "into a car show, some mammals are either going to claim I stole it or try to steal it themselves. And two, it's not a complete restoration. This is a foreign car, so finding some of the parts was impossible. I was able to have a friend of mine custom-make a few of the parts we needed, but the engine and fuel system we had to completely take out and replace with newer parts that don't match the car's make, model, or year."

"Oh," Gideon murmured in understanding. They had a classic car show every spring here in Bunnyburrow and they took full restoration of these classic cars deadly serious. If any parts weren't authentic to the make and model of the vehicle, they refused them entry into the contest. They could still be viewed, but not voted on. Now if the replacements were from the same model but a different year (provided there was only a year or two difference), then they'd let it slide as some of the parts just couldn't be found for these older cars. So, it was a shame that Nick had to do a complete overhaul on the engine and fuel system. He would have been real proud to have Nick enter the contest next spring and maybe show it off with him.

Nick waved it aside, saying, "The flip-side is, the car is a bit faster and extremely fuel efficient. The money I save on gas alone pays for itself."

Gideon nodded, saying, "She sure is pretty, though." He couldn't take his eyes off the slick machine as it almost glowed in the backdoor light, especially as the rest of the alley stood in complete darkness.

With another wide grin, Nick promised, "Maybe tomorrow we can take her out for a spin."

Gideon's countenance immediately brightened, his ears perked forward, and his tail began wagging. "You mean that?" Running his paw through his head fur, he turned his bright blue eyes on Nick, then the black classic sports car, then back at Nick. He'd always wanted to drive in something like this, but all the mammals he knew who owned one wouldn't let him even touch their cars, let alone climb inside and go for a spin.

"Help me find Judy and I'll do just about anything for you," Nick promised with a broad smile that showed off his white canines. At Gideon's return grin, Nick motioned towards the car then opened the driver's door and reached in the back to grab a couple of duffle bags.

Gideon's eyes shown with stars and his tail continued wagging as he opened the passenger side door to grab a couple of Nick's other bags. The inside had beautiful black ostrich-leather seats and a wooden dashboard. It was as beautifully restored on the inside as it was on the outside. As his grin broadened to show off his teeth, Gideon pulled his head out of the car to see Nick standing at the back of the sports car with the trunk opened. Watching Nick pull a black guitar case from within, he asked, "You play the guitar?"

Nick simply nodded, saying, "My dad played and was teaching me and my younger brother." After a short pause, Nick's voice dropped to a somber whisper as he added, "This guitar is the only thing I have left of my dad's."

Gideon's ears splayed back as he realized something bad must have happened to Nick's dad. Holding back his questions as he didn't want to bring up sad memories, he instead asked, "Do you have anything else in the trunk that needs brought up?"

Nick shook his head. "Just a few boxes but nothing I need tonight."

With a flick of his ear, Gideon led his new friend upstairs to the loft apartment. While leading Nick through his home, Gideon pointed out the kitchen/dining room, the cozy living room, the smaller, third bedroom he'd converted to his office and storage room, and then the bathroom that was situated between the two main bedrooms at the back of the apartment.

Walking into his room, Nick saw that it was a quaint little room with an antique bed and matching dresser with the fancy carvings and molding that most antique furniture had. Setting his bags on the bed (which sported a colorful, hand-sewn patchwork quilt), Nick moved over and ran his paws across the polished tiger wood and its decorative molding that was hand-carved. "Is this from the 1950's?"

Gideon shrugged. "That sounds about right." At Nick's curious gaze, Gideon explained, "My great-grandpappy bought it for my great-granny for their tenth-year anniversary present. It was used at the time and a bit scuffed, but great-grandpappy sanded it down and re-polished it till it shined like new."

Nick nodded as he turned his attention back to the bedpost. "It's beautiful."

Gideon puffed out his chest a bit in pride and said, "Yep. My ma wanted somethin' nice to sleep on when she came ta visit." Seeing the confusion written on Nick's face (his head was tilted slightly and one of his ears was half-cocked), Gideon explained, "My ma's health ain't the best, so she don't get out much." Nick nodded in understanding, and Gideon continued, "At first, she didn't want to bring up the family heirloom, for fear somethin' might happen to it."

Nick nodded again as he understood their thinking. It was the same thing with his convertible and why he rarely drove it around Zootopia and never took it to car shows. If other mammals realized a fox had such nice (expensive) things, they'd want to help themselves to it, vandalize it, or accuse the fox of stealing it. "So, what changed her mind?"

"Stu."

"Huh?"

"Stu offered to partner with me and supply all my fruit for the bakery. Once ma heard I'd have the Hopps' name as protection, she had me move the set over the next day." Nick tilted his head and flicked an ear, so Gideon explained further, "No one wants to mess with the Hopps clan. They have several members on the town council, and when it comes to rabbits, most bunnies here in town are related to them in some way."

Nick's ears disappeared as they flattened against his head. "Really? You don't say." Pulling on his ear while looking off to the left, he asked, "So, how . . . how big is . . . is Judy's family again." He'd been chased by a mob of small prey once before and it was truly terrifying.

He'd been passing by one of those small outdoor cafés that catered to small prey: rabbits, squirrels, gophers, along with a couple of pudús —the world's smallest deer species. Well, one of the pudús came up missing their wallet and since he was the only _obvious_ thief in the area (Nick sneered at their bigoted assumption now—but at the time he was scared witless) they accused him of taking it. He hadn't, of course. He'd just been passing by and hadn't been anywhere _near_ the victim. But that didn't stop the narrowed-minded, specist prey from accusing him. If any cops had been in the area, he certainly would have been arrested.

As it was, he turned tail and ran, with the whole lot of them ganging up to chase after him down a side street and up a burnt-out streetlamp when he'd mistakenly taken a wrong turn down a dead-end alley. He hadn't been on his own very long and so was still learning the back streets of Zootopia. The angry mob had kept him poled for almost an hour, with him arguing his innocence the whole time. He was losing strength in his arms and legs after gripping the pole for so long and hard and he feared he'd be torn apart when he finally fell. But low and behold, at his insistence that the pudú check his pockets again, the irate male found his wallet. He'd thoughtlessly put it in the wrong pocket of his coat and so hadn't thought to look for it in there when it first came up missing.

The mob had dispersed after that without so much as a, _"I'm sorry."_ This incident had taught Nick a healthy respect (and fear) of the small prey species when a bunch of them banded together into an angry mob. The whole thing left him with nightmares for months and he still got apprehensive when he found himself in large groups of small prey. When dealing with them, he always found himself looking for an escape route should things go south.

Gideon tilted his head and looked at the ceiling in thought while moving his fingers as he estimated their numbers. "I think Stu and Bonnie have about 300 kits, and Stu has about 200 siblings and Bonnie has about 100 siblings." Dropping his head to see Nick's horrified expression, he added, "All their siblings are married with large families of their own, with most of the older kits already married with kits."

Nick turned around and plopped down on the bed, then leaned over and put his head in his paws. "How do rabbit does _survive_ having that many kits!" Having such a huge, extended family boggled Nick's mind. Between Bonnie and Stu's siblings alone, there were well-over 300 rabbits, and when you add in all the kits of Stu, Bonnie, and all their siblings, that was well over 1,000 rabbits. And that's just two generations! That's not including all the grandkits!

Scratching his claws through the fur at the back of his head for a minute, Nick then stared at the hardwood floor. If her family didn't approve of his and Judy's friendship, he could see so many things going wrong. The locals didn't have swamps around here where they dumped bodies, did they? Most criminal gangs back in Zootopia had several dump sites for their victims. And, of course, he couldn't forget Mr. Big and his icy, watery tomb. Having to stare into the watery face of death twice in his life was twice too many. And he didn't relish the idea of facing his death a third time at the paws of Judy's family members. The thought alone had his heart rate kicking up.

Unaware of his friend's sudden panic attack, Gideon shrugged as he had grown up around a multitude of rabbits. "Rabbits are good at multiplying."

Nick could only nod as he took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. "I'd say," he muttered under his breath as his gaze traced the wood grains on the floor. Judy's comment to him all those months ago now made much more sense, as did her ability to calculate in her head such a huge number. Rabbits might be lacking in other smarts, but they certainly knew their numbers and their math. If he ever got a business going that brought in a lot of money (a dream of his he'd had for many years, but always lacked the funds), he would be sure to hire a rabbit accountant.

_But still_—over a thousand rabbits in Judy's immediate family! That was just too much, even for rabbits . . . _right?_ Shaking his head, he muttered, "Now I know why you said not to drop in at her house unless first invited. I'm suddenly seeing my life flash before my eyes at the thought of knocking on her door unannounced."

Gideon nodded. "This area is called the tri-burrow area because there are 3 main families that make up the majority of the population. The Hopps clan, the Leapson clan, and the last family is actually a large clan of prairie dogs—the Diggersen's. The members of these three families actually make up the majority of the town council, with just a few other mammals involved: several sheep, a couple of deer, and then a cougar and a coyote."

Nick nodded but said nothing. Getting a hold of Judy was going to be a lot harder than he thought. With just two predators on the town council it was highly likely that a large portion of Judy's family would be against her being close friends with a fox, which meant he might just get axed—and he'd probably never even see the blow coming!

Seeing Nick's melancholy mood, Gideon decided to change the subject. Glancing around the room, his gaze fell across the ornate bedpost and then the matching chest of drawers. Looking back at his friend, he tilted his head and asked, "You could tell the year the bed was made just from lookin' at it?"

Nick nodded. Taking a deep breath, he wiped a paw down his face, then tugged on his ear. No matter how big Judy's family was or how difficult they made it for him to meet up with her, he wasn't giving up. Their friendship was worth more than that. _She _was worth more than that. She was worth everything to him.

With his mind made up, he stood and moved over to his new clothes while answering Gideon's question, "I dabbled in antique furniture a while back. The craftsmanship they had in the 1800's and early 1900's has always fascinated me."

Gideon nodded. "Yeah, they don't make things like they used to."

"That's for sure," Nick muttered as he pulled the clothes from the store bag. Turning to Gideon, he asked, "Do you have a washer and dryer I can use? I bought some new clothes and I need to wash them."

"Of course!" Waving his paw, Gideon said, "It's this way." He led Nick to the laundry room and helped him cut the tags on his new country clothes so they could be washed. As they made their way back into the living room, Gideon said, "You know Nick, you're going to fit right in at the rodeo. Those clothes you picked out are real winners."

"What can I say: I have a flair for style." Tenting the fingers of one paw over his chest, he threw the other up in the air and posed like he was in some Shakespearian play.

Gideon looked at his loud, blue Pawaiian shirt and mismatched red-and-blue striped tie, then started laughing. "Flair for style?" he choked out between laughs. "Is that what you call that?" He motioned to Nick's clothes and then gripped his stomach while laughing.

Nick put his paws on his hips and in outraged tone, said, "Well, _excuse me_ for having a higher sense of fashion than you backwater hillbillies."

"Higher sense of fashion!?" Gideon exclaimed. _"Hillbillies!?"_ Looking Nick over again, he then doubled over as he was now laughing even harder.

"_Absolutely_ a higher sense of fashion," Nick said with his nose in the air. Lifting one of his paws, Nick jabbed his clawed finger at the laughing fox across from him and said, "I'll have you know these shirts are 100% silk and are at the height of Zootopian fashion." Nick maintained his snobbish, outraged stance a moment longer, but at Gideon's incredulous look, Nick doubled over laughing himself. It had been a long time since he'd laughed so hard, or even had a reason to laugh.

After several minutes of hardy laughter, both foxes got their laughing under control and moved over to the living room couch (this piece of furniture was a worn, brown hand-me-down). Even though the couch was worn, Nick was surprised how comfortable it was. Shifting into the soft cushions, he then turned to Gideon and said, "Seriously though, there was method to my madness in buying such loud shirts."

Gideon leaned up against the armrest at the opposite end of the couch and asked, "There was?" His whole focus was on his friend, as he was very interested in the red fox and what life was like in the big city. Especially since he never traveled beyond a few of the neighboring towns.

"For starters, they helped me blend into the backdrop of Zootopia when I was doing my hustles. Not many mammals remember your face when you're wearing such a loud, distracting shirt." Gideon nodded and wasn't surprised to learn his fellow fox was hustling to get by (he'd already admitted to hustling Judy). It was tough enough to find a decent job here in the country, and he'd heard it was doubly so in the city. Once the turkey, chicken, and bug farms opened up it became a bit easier for a fox to get a good job, but life was still difficult at times. He was just glad Stu decided to give him a chance and chose to partner with him. He still couldn't believe Stu had forgiven him for what he did to Judy all those years ago (though Stu had mentioned he had Judy to thank for that).

Taking a deep breath, Nick sat in silence a moment, then quietly said, "What actually grabbed my attention with the shirts, though, was their pattern." Looking down at his shirt, he ran a paw lightly over the leafy pattern.

"The pattern?" Gideon questioned with his ears perked forward.

Nick nodded as his ears dropped slightly towards each side of his head. "It's the same pattern as the wallpaper in my kithood home, back when Dad was still working, and we were still a family. I have several pale green ones that are the exact shade as the wallpaper."

"Oh," Gideon murmured softly as his tail and ears drooped.

With a nod, Nick ran his paw over the fabric again, and then explained, "My dad owned a tailor shop, a really good one, too, but then the recession hit and business moved to a newer part of the city. With mammals no longer coming around, Dad's business took a nose-dive and eventually went belly-up." Shaking his head, he leaned back a moment in thought, then said, "Dad tried to get another job, but all he could find at the time barely put food on the table, let alone paid the rent or utilities. He eventually got a job out of town and sent money home, and it paid the bills, but didn't leave much for food."

Absently rubbing his finger over the palm frond pattern, he murmured quietly, "I started hustling when I was 12 to help put food on the table. Mom didn't like it, though. She said we were above that, but I was tired of starving, so I ignored her." With a shake of his head, Nick leaned his head against the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling a moment before closing his eyes. "Since she wouldn't accept my money, I spent it on me and my younger brother. It kept the two of us from going to bed on empty stomachs." Glancing over, he met Gideon's bright, blue eyes and said, "Well, you know how much young foxes eat."

Gideon nodded as his tail and ears drooped further. He remembered he had a voracious appetite when he was younger. But even when times were tight, they always had something to eat. His mom kept a small garden, and he was able to fish or gather wild fruit the few times they ran short of food. There was one harsh winter, though, that had lasted longer than the food they had stored up. He still remembered how his stomach gnawed on itself on more than one occasion when he'd been forced to go to bed hungry that snow-covered spring.

"Anyway," Nick continued as he stared absently at wood grains in the flour, "this went on for a few years, and although mom didn't approve, she didn't try to stop me from buying food for the two of us, even if she was too proud to accept the money or the food it provided." Leaning his head against the back of the couch again, Nick's ears flattened against his head as he added, "Then my dad got accused of theft at the place he was working at. He'd stumbled onto a burglary and when he tried to stop it, they blamed _him_ for it!" This last was said resentfully as Nick sat forward and dropped his head in his paws. "You try to do a good deed as a fox and you get punished for it," he lamented bitterly as tears stung his eyes.

Gideon nodded in sympathy as his own eyes started to tear up, but he remained silent as he felt that Nick just needed to vent. It was obvious he'd been keeping the bitter emotions and memories bottled up inside, and he knew from personal experience the problems that arose from bottling up negative emotions. He'd gone through several years of therapy starting his senior year of high school just to work through his bottled-up emotions and self-doubt that manifested as uncontrolled rage.

After several minutes of silence, Gideon asked, "So what happened?" Remembering his own therapy sessions, Gideon knew that sometimes when you got stuck on a particularly bad memory, you just needed to be asked the right question to get past it.

Nick took in a deep shuddering breath and wiped at his eyes before glancing at Gideon. He wasn't sure why he was telling the other fox his life story. He'd never told anyone else all the crap that had happened to him, but there was something about the rotund fox that told him he'd been there before and that he actually understood. Nor was there any accusation in his steady, sad, but curious gaze. What he saw was someone who simply wanted to help, with no strings attached. That hit him like an anvil falling from the clear-blue sky but in a good way. Besides Judy, it had been a very long time since someone had cared about what happened to him. Finnick came close, but he had his own problems to deal with, nor was he very open about his emotions, either.

Taking a deep breath and wiping at his eyes again, he said, "Are you sure you want to listen to my sappy, sob-story of a life?"

Gideon simply shrugged. "I had a really good therapist who listened to me and helped me work through my anger and self-doubt. So, I, I figure it's the least I can do."

Nick nodded, then clasped his paws together and rested his chin on them as he leaned forward while staring across the room at a large family photo hanging on the wall. It looked to be a photo of three generations of Grays. There was Gideon and his little sister (Nick assumed it was his sister), then his parents, and then his grandparents. It wasn't often that there were three generations of foxes all above ground. Many foxes died young due to poor health caused by poor living conditions and insufficient medical care (medical care they needed but couldn't afford).

Nick really wished his grandparents were around when his dad lost his job and they struggled to make ends meet. Maybe then, his dad might not have had to leave the city to find work and they might still be a family.

With a heavy sigh, Nick continued his sad tale. "With Dad in jail and unable to help with the bills, I wanted to use my hustling money to at least pay the rent so we didn't lose the house—but Mom wouldn't hear of it. We had a lot of fights over that one. This went on for about a year when our landlord started threatening to kick us out if we didn't come up with all the back rent, so I gathered up all the money I'd been saving up—_that Mom refused to touch_—and went down to our landlord and paid everything we owed, plus several months in advance. I then went and bought Landon—he's my little brother—some new clothes with several pairs a couple of sizes too big so he could grow into them, then packed my own bag. I knew Mom would be furious with me when she got home and found out what I did, so I decided to just up and leave. I didn't even wait around to see her when she got home."

Nick rubbed his chin across his clasped paws for several moments, then said, "I was 16 at the time and Landon was 15." With a heavy sigh, he added, "I continued sending letters home to my brother, along with food money, for about a year. Landon would occasionally write back to me, letting me know what was going on, but after a year, one of my letters came back to me. That scared me." Running his claws through his head fur, Nick stared at the floor as he continued, "So I returned home to find out they'd moved several months back. Landon continued coming by to pick up my letters but didn't bother writing and saying they were moving or where to. The landlord sent my letter back when Landon failed to pick it up."

Gideon sat back and watched Nick rub his eyes with the palms of his paws. He couldn't even begin to understand how the other todd was feeling. He understood the feeling of losing his dad, for a similar thing had happened to him, but he never lost his home. And he still had his mom and sister, plus his grandparents to rely on. But losing his whole family isn't something Gideon could understand.

After a few moments, Gideon sniffled, then asked, "You never found them, did you?"

Nick shook his head. "No. I looked for them for about a year before I thought to look up my dad and see if he'd heard anything from them." Nick scratched his head again, then tugged on his ear. "When I left home, I dropped contact with him, too. I only communicated with Landon."

"So, what did he say?" Gideon asked quietly. What would his father have to say after several years of no contact with his son?

Nick shook his head again, saying, "Nothing. He wasn't there." Glancing at Gideon, Nick explained, "They said he was released early for good behavior. He didn't even leave a forwarding address." With a bitter laugh, he added, "A day late and a dollar short—the story of my life." Nick waved his paw through the air, then slumped back against the couch.

Gideon nodded, but didn't say anything. Looking at his own life, although hard, he realized he had it good compared to his fellow fox. As they both considered the past, and the vast difference the future now held, they fell into a sober silence.

After reflecting on his past, Gideon considered the opportunity he now had in regard to his bakery. With his partnership with Stu, Gideon knew his life was looking up and his future should be a lot better than his past. He also hoped to help Nick in anyway he could with fixing what he'd broke with Judy. With everything terrible that had happened in his friend's life, Nick deserved someone like Judy to brighten his day and give him a reason to get up in the morning.

Nick, on the other hand, was comparing his past with what he hoped would be a better future. Although he'd never found his family or was given the chance to make things right with them, he hoped things would be different with Judy. If he could make things right with her and repair their broken friendship, then maybe he could start his life over with a clean slate. Although he didn't fully understand it, when he was with Judy, she seemed to bring out the best in him. With her bright eyes, stunning smile, and positivity, along with her never ending enthusiasm and reliance on him, it made him want to try a little harder, to go a little farther, and to be more than the shifty lowlife society said he was—_and he wanted to get that feeling back_.

After a while of just sitting and thinking, they both decided to retire for the night. After going through their nightly routine (and putting Nick's new clothes in the dryer), they climbed into their respective beds (Nick was quite shocked at how comfortable his was, and now understood why Gideon's mom would insist on using it). As they snuggled under their own blankets and got comfortable, both todds hoped things would be better in the morning.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the glance into Judy's, Nick's, and Gideon's life. In the next chapter, Judy will make a decision about her future, Nick will decide to improve on one of his talents, he'll then meet a new friend, and finally meet one of Judy's siblings.

Chapter 5: A New Goal, will post on Friday, April 17th. If you have any thoughts or comments, let me know. Stay safe. I hope you have a great weekend.


	5. Chapter 5: A New Goal

Judy wasn't sure what time it was when she finally rode back into the yard. The night had been dark and peaceful, with the moonlight lighting a bright path for her. While lost in thought, she had ridden out further than she had intended and so it took longer to return home.

After guiding Billy-bob to the barn, she dropped from the saddle and led him inside, then stowed the saddle in the tack room. After rubbing the large, docile bird down, she led the Island emu back to the large stall with the rest of the males. Removing the bridle after leading him inside, she patted Billy-bob's back, then slipped back out and latched the door. Hanging the bridle back on the wall with the others, she left the barn and made her way towards the house.

Jumping up onto the back porch, Judy stopped and glanced at the pastel-yellow porch swing she was passing. After a moment of deliberation, she turned and sat down. Pushing the porch's wooden floor with her foot, she made the swing sway.

During her ride, she had finally come to terms with the fact she'd fallen in love with Nick. She also came to the realization that he was the only one she could ever see herself with. No one else would do for her. She would have him or no one (which meant she would probably end up with no one).

But even though it was almost certain she would never see Nick again (she had hunted all over Zootopia for him and questioned who knows how many mammals—but to no avail) she wasn't one to give up. It might take her several years to find him and properly apologize, but if she found him once, she could find him again—it was just a matter of time. Which meant she had to pull herself together. There was no way she would have a chance to meet him again if she remained in her family's burrow moping around all day. Nor would he want to be with her if she was an empty shell of herself. She needed to find a new purpose, one she could be proud of, and that he could be proud of, too.

Sitting and swinging while thinking, she finally decided to start working with the birds again. She always enjoyed it when she was younger, and they would help center her. Perhaps she could get her own personal emu to train and then sign up with Search and Rescue. There were always kits and hikers wandering off and getting lost out in the woods and fields. That way she could still make the world a better place but wouldn't have to deal with a lot of mammals. She still wasn't ready for that, not after all the predators she'd hurt and the riots she'd caused. She still couldn't believe Bogo and Bellwether wanted to make her the 'poster kit' of the ZPD. What bravery and loyalty? To say terrified prey were looking up to her was the worst kind of joke said in the worst of taste.

Yes, some of the prey (mostly smaller) did look up to her and stopped her on the street to thank her (_For what? Tearing the city apart?_), but most of them thought she had just gotten lucky. Most larger prey didn't treat her any differently, and the few who were close to predators openly glared at her and some even went out their way to 'bump' into her—then would grin darkly when she had to jump out of their way. _And the predators_—thinking about them always hurt the most.

Although most preds were smart enough not to say anything bad to her face (she was a cop after all), listening to their snide comments and hurtful slurs after walking past them or while riding on the subway was like a slap in the face. It wasn't so bad the first couple of months, but as more and more predators went savage and prey started turning against them (kicking them out of their apartment buildings, firing them from their jobs, refusing them surface at restaurants or stores, taunting them on the streets) everything just sort of snowballed into an angry, hurt-filled, putrid mass of misunderstanding and violence. Although the mobs hadn't yet turned to breaking into store fronts, looting, and setting fire to buildings and cars, she didn't think it would be long before they did if things continued as they were. She had even heard some mammals whispering about Zootopia being a dismal Dystopia now.

With a snort, Judy thought, _Some hero I turned out to be. More like a super villain. With just one word I brought the whole city to its knees!_ She chuckled darkly to herself, but on the inside, she felt like crying. But she had cried enough the last few months. She had to pick herself up and start over. She knew she'd never be a cop again, but her arms and legs weren't broken which meant she could still make the world a better place…just in a different way. "Search and Rescue, here I come," she stated with determination.

After finally coming to a decision on what to do with her life, she stood up and went inside. Passing through the kitchen and into the hallway, she saw a lamp on in the sitting room. She didn't need to enter to know she would find her mom sitting there in the rocker, waiting for her, as she knitted away at all the little booties, mittens, scarfs, hats, and tiny jackets for all the little ones. Even though Judy and all her siblings were either grown or at least in high school, Bonnie had hundreds of little grandnieces, grandnephews, and grandkits to knit for, especially if she wanted the hats, scarfs, mittens, and jackets ready for winter time.

While nearing the doorway and listening to the soft, rhythmic click of knitting needles, Judy heard her mom call out to her.

"Judy, is that you?" Bonnie's hopeful, and slightly worried, voice rang out softly even as the soft clack of her knitting needles paused.

Stepping through the door, Judy gave her mom a small smile and answered, "Yes, Mom, it's me. I made it back home, safe and sound." _Just like always_, she thought to herself.

Setting her current project aside (she was making a pair of pink and orange mittens to go with the scarf and hat she'd just finished earlier), a crease formed between Bonnie's brows as she stood and asked, "Do you know what time it is, young lady?"

Judy shook her head, saying, "No, not really. I just know it's really late." With a shrug at her mom's raised eyebrow, she explained, "I rode out further than I thought I had and so it took me longer to ride back."

Bonnie stepped forward to hug her daughter and asked, "And what kept you riding for so long?" She knew her daughter only got lost on a ride (timewise) when she was in deep thought. Her daughter's obvious depression had been weighing on her heart, but nothing she tried seemed to work in lifting Judy's spirits. Stepping back from the hug, Bonnie noticed her bun-bun's ears weren't quite as droopy as they were this morning when she'd seen her. Was this start of a positive change?

Judy shrugged again. "Just thinking."

Bonnie guided Judy over to the couch and sat down with her. "About what?"

"The future." Judy was still thinking about Nick, but wasn't ready to tell her mom about him, or that he was the reason she'd been riding so long.

Leaning against her mom, Judy sighed while looking across the dim room to the old fireplace and stone mantle with its carvings of cutesy rabbit heads and carrots. She could just imagine what Nick would say if he saw them. _'Rabbit heads and carrots? Really? And yet __**I'm**__ not allowed to call __**you**__ Carrots? Or cute?'_ He would find some way to call her cute, just to get rile out of her. With a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth while thinking of the smug todd who'd stolen her heart, her mom interrupted her.

"Bun-bun? Are you still with me?" Turning her head to look at her daughter with concern, Bonnie wondered what kind of future she had been thinking about. After fulfilling her _very_ dangerous dream of being a big city cop, even if it was short lived, what could her bun-bun want to do with her life now? Judy still showed no interest in settling down with a good buck, so what could her daughter want if not to start a family? Nothing as dangerous as being a cop, Bonnie hoped.

Judy sighed again and closed her eyes while letting her head tilt to lean against her mom's shoulder. "I had to clear my head and figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life."

Bonnie wrapped her arm around Judy as they sat in silence for a moment, then she asked, "And did you figure it out?" _Please say you're ready to settle down and start a family_, Bonnie thought with a thread of hope reigniting in her heart.

A small smile returned to Judy's lips as she replied, "Yes, I think I did." Looking up to meet her mom's curious, amethyst gaze that was a mirror of her own, Judy explained, "I want to start working with the birds again and maybe get my own emu to train, and then join the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol."

"Oh. Well, that sounds exciting." This wasn't what Bonnie was hoping for, but it was way better than being a big city cop or the depression Judy had been suffering with after hurting so many predators with her press conference speech. And they did have several family members and friends who were already with Search and Rescue, so she knew Judy would be in safe paws.

With an encouraging smile, Bonnie continued, "They're always looking for new members to help them when someone gets lost or hurt up in the mountains." _And it's way safer than being a cop in the city_, Bonnie thought to herself. Of course, if Judy became a sheriff's deputy out here in Bunnyburrow, that wouldn't be too bad, either.

There really weren't any violent crimes around here and with half the population being related to them in some way, shape, or form, it would make it even safer for Judy to live her dream. But if her bun-bun wanted to work with Search and Rescue, Bonnie had no complaints. So long as she wasn't out in a storm looking for some lost soul—that would terrify her. But most mammals had enough sense to come down from the mountains when a storm blew in.

With a smile, Bonnie added, "And you would still be able to make the world a better place, one lost mammal at a time." _And maybe meet a nice buck to marry while you're out patrolling_, Bonnie added to herself. She wasn't about to suggest it to Judy's face, knowing it might just make her change her mind about the whole thing—_What did Bun-bun have against finding a mate and starting a family!?—_but it was a hope she had been praying for.

"Yes, yes, I would," Judy agreed. Looking back at the fireplace, she thought of Nick again, with his bright emerald gaze and goofy grin when cracking one of his stupid jokes. She still needed to get him back for wasting a whole day at the DMV. Who knew that sloths thought they needed to pass a lame joke around the whole office! Pushing the irritation down (at this point, she didn't really care about the past—all she wanted was to see his smug face again) and thought of Nick being here in her family's sitting room.

While trying to picture how Nick would take being in a rabbit burrow—with his height he could easily touch the ceiling as there wouldn't be more than a few inches between the tips of his ears and the cream-colored pine-wood ceiling—a small smile teased her lips. With that ghost of a truly happy smile showing for the first time in months, Judy turned back to her mom and asked, "So, do you know of anyone with emu's ready to sell that are of riding age?"

Bonnie sat quietly for a moment in thought, then answered, "I believe I do." Glancing at her daughter's eager gaze and rapt attention, she continued, "You know your Uncle Ray?" At Judy's quick nod, Bonnie said, "Well, his neighbor, Tommy Hopsen mentioned recently that his son's best friend's cousin's family—you know, the _Hoppersans_—they have some birds to sell."

Judy raised an eyebrow, asking, "Which ones? The Hoppersans have a lot of members." Could her mom be any more vague about who had emus for sale? The Hoppersans, although not nearly as abundant as the Hopps clan, were still up in the high hundreds when you counted all the rabbits from each generation and extended family who had married into the clan.

"Oh, right," Bonnie murmured. "George and Leslie. You went to school with some of their older kits."

Judy had to think a moment, then said, "Oh, right. I was in the same class as Steve and Sandy. I usually sat with them during lunchtime in eleventh grade since our teacher always put us together for class projects—that way she knew they'd actually participate in them."

Bonnie nodded with proud smile on her face. "Yes. You made sure everyone pulled their weight whenever you were put into those group projects." Bonnie had many kits and was proud of each one, but Judy was one of the ones that Bonnie knew she could trust the most to get her work done and done right. Not that she couldn't trust many of her other kits, but Judy always put in extra effort to accomplish whatever she put her mind to—and making sure others were doing what they were supposed to, too.

Judy nodded. "Of course. I wasn't about to let them get an 'A' off all my hard work. Nor was I going to let them drag my grade down for slacking off." While remembering her high school years, Judy sat up a little straighter as she was very proud of her high school accomplishments—she graduated at the top 1 % of her class and had even aced several college classes her high school had offered. "If they wanted the grade, they were going to earn it."

Bonnie nodded as Judy always hated slackers. With a smile tugging at her lips, she thought of all the times Judy had _'encouraged'_ her siblings to do their work or talked them out doing something they would get in trouble for. Even though she was frequently called 'bossy' or a 'goody-tushoo', Judy could usually talk her siblings into doing things or avoiding trouble by explaining the consequences of their current actions. This didn't always work, but 7 out 10 times she could make her brothers and sisters see reason.

After a moment of traipsing down memory lane, Bonnie waved her paw in the air, saying, "Anyways, George has a brood of emus that are green-broke and ready to sell. They live over there on the outskirts of town, about five miles past the train tracks and about three miles from the new bug farm that family of hoary foxes started up."

Judy had to stop and think a moment about where in Bunnyburrow her mom was talking about. There were a lot of train tracks and the hoary foxes hadn't been here long. They had moved in while she had been away at college and then at the ZPA. After orienting the place in her head, she said, "Oh, right, okay. I think I know where you're talking about."

"Good," Bonnie said. Giving her daughter a light squeeze around the shoulders in a small side-hug, Bonnie smiled. Her and Stu had been so worried about Bun-bun since she returned home from the city. She claimed she broke the city somehow, but they both knew that she broke herself in the process. They had tried so many things to get her up and moving, to find a purpose again, but to no avail. Bonnie knew that if Judy could just find a mate and start a family, that she would have a lifetime purpose—many _'lifetime'_ purposes with each litter she gave birth to.

She knew this from experience. Bonnie had a lot of hopes and dreams growing up, but she settled—_hard_—when she married Stu. His father had died young from a farming accident and Stu, being the oldest, had to drop out of college early to go home and run the farm. They had been dating for several months at that point, but when Stu had to take over the farm, they went ahead and got married (it was the fastest bunny wedding ever, taking only a month and a half to plan).

And even though Stu had to drop out of college, he still encouraged her to continue with her own degree. She was taking an Accounting course as she loved numbers and wanted a career using math, but that first litter derailed her goal a bit. She thought she could still make it work, but then the next litter came, and the one after that (her and Stu just couldn't keep their paws to themselves!) and she dropped out herself before that first year was over.

But she couldn't complain. She had found her purpose raising her kits and each litter brought more joy into her life. And even though she wasn't able to finish her degree, she was still able to use what she'd learned to help keep their farm finances straight, and her love of numbers really helped when it came to raising so many kits and running such a large farm. So, even though Bonnie knew that others thought she had settled (and settled hard!) she was happy. And she hoped her Bun-bun could find the same joy and pleasure in raising her own kits someday (the sooner the better) and stop looking to the next horizon for some excitement in her life. If she wanted excitement, all she had to do was chase a dozen or more toddlers around all day. Now _that's_ entertainment.

Oblivious to her mother's thoughts about her (if her mom mentioned her need to settle down and start popping out kits one more time, she was going to scream!), Judy nodded her head and said, "Well, I guess I'll be checking out some new emus in the morning." Patting her mom's leg, she said, "It's late so I should get to bed. Thanks for listening to me, Mom."

"Yes," Bonnie agreed as she helped her daughter up from the couch. "I need to get to bed, too. Tomorrow will be another long day, but at least we got all the lights and speakers working today. But we're still a long way off from getting all the extra bleachers and port-a-potties set up." With a heavy sigh, she added, "We need more of the larger, stronger mammals to help out. With a shake of her head, Bonnie set her worries for tomorrow aside and hugged Judy, saying, "Goodnight, Bun-bun. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, too, dear." Bonnie followed Judy into the hall, then watched her make her way downstairs towards her room. A smile formed across her small muzzle as she knew Judy would be okay now. She had a goal to work towards, and Judy was never happier than when she was working towards a goal. Taking a deep breath, she made her way down to her own room, where she snuggled up close to Stu. Listening to his steady heartbeat, she let the worries and anxiety of the day slip away as the calming sound soothed her to sleep.

As Judy reached her room after a quick stop in the bathroom, she stripped down and pulled on her nightgown, then burrowed under her thick blankets. She'd had a long day and a longer night and felt exhausted. Pulling her pillow around to hug the bottom portion while resting her cheek on the top half, she burrowed deeper into her covers and wished it was Nick she was snuggling into and it was his arms she felt nestled around her. This was a new thought for her, a result of her sister pointing out her true feelings for the sly todd, but she was too tired to realize the significance of the thought as her mind was pulled into peaceful slumber (for the first time in months) as visions of orange and cream danced in her head.

….….

A heavenly smell tickled Nick's nose which disrupted his deep, restful sleep. After several huffs, he cracked an emerald eye for a moment and stared at the headboard as he was lying on his stomach. As his eye slid shut again, he rolled over and yawned. After another moment, he brought his arm up to rest over his eyes. Although the curtains in this room were thick, they couldn't keep the bright morning sunlight from streaming in from the sides where there was a gap between the wall and curtain. The bright sunlight lit up the whole room and highlighted the antique furniture, patchwork quilt, and the brightly colored rag-rug on the floor, but Nick saw none of it as he kept his sensitive eyes covered.

Normally when blinded by the early morning light upon waking, Nick's first response was to roll over and bury his head under the pillow or the covers—but not this morning. He awoke with a mission and rolling over and going back to sleep wasn't part of it. Last night had been the best sleep he'd had in a very long time. And it was all thanks to Judy. After learning more about her from Gideon yesterday, he felt closer to her than ever before.

And after having several warm, fuzzy dreams about her last night (he couldn't rightly remember any particular part of them, but they made him feel warm and safe—_happy_), Nick was determined not only to find Judy and apologize, but to do whatever it took—become whatever he needed to be—to stay by her side. If that meant mucking stalls, hoeing a field, or pulling weeds he'd do that (farming was the _last_ thing he ever saw himself doing—but he'd do it for Judy), or if she had another job or career she wanted to do, he'd sign up to work alongside her—if they let him. And if not, he would find another way to work with her off the job.

But that was for the future. Right now, he was going to learn how to bake. His dad always told him (when he was younger and they were still a family), that a female always appreciated a male more if he knew how to cook. His dad always said this whenever he made Mom breakfast in bed for her birthday or their anniversary, usually strawberry pancakes and eggs or biscuits and sausage gravy.

Nick never took the saying to heart until now. And although he knew how to cook actual meals, desserts were a different matter (Judy hadn't been impressed with his pawpsicles), so he had to try something different if he wanted to make it up to her for all the trouble he had caused her: dragging her to the Oasis with no warning of what she was walking into, wasting her time with Flash and his sloth coworkers that first day working with her, and then scaring her at the press conference before storming off and then avoiding her like the plague when she was looking for him (yes, he'd heard how she was trying to find him). Which meant he had a _lot_ to make up for.

Dropping his paw, Nick rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom before digging his clothes out of the dryer. Carrying the basket into his room, Nick sorted and folded his clothes, then picked out one of the green cowboy shirts and a pair of dark blue jeans. Once he was presentable, he reached for his tie, then paused. It didn't really go with his current outfit (not that it went with _any_ of his outfits, but it was the last present his dad had given him just before losing the tailor shop).

Setting the tie back in his suitcase with the rest of his city clothes, Nick wondered if there was a cowboy's equivalent to a tie that he could buy here in Bunnyburrow. Surely, there had to be something.

Making his way into the kitchen from which a heavenly smell had been tantalizing his nose ever since he woke up, Nick saw a plate of waffles sitting on the counter with a note on top written in Gideon's chicken-scratch handwriting. Picking it up, Nick had to turn it this way and that to make out what it said.

_Mornin Nick, I hope you slept well. Here's some breakfast. I'll be in the bakery when you're done. ~Gideon_

Nick grinned. Picking up his plate, he grabbed the syrup sitting next to it, then took them to the dining room table. Sitting down, he ate quickly (they were as good as they smelled), then made his way down to the bakery where Gideon was making some type of pastry. He wasn't sure what kind, but it had raspberries in it and what smelled like cream cheese. _Was it a Danish pastry?_

"Morning, Gid," Nick said as he entered the room.

Gideon glanced up and smiled. "Mornin, Nick. Did ya sleep well?"

With a nod, Nick said, "Actually, yes, I did. Best sleep I've had in months." Of course, he didn't mention that his dreams of Judy were a large part of that _'best'_ sleep. The hyper ball of fluff had been haunting his thoughts for the last four months, but they had finally settled and were now giving him positive energy instead of negative emotions.

"Glad to hear that." Nodding towards the pastry he was working on, Gideon asked, "Want to help?"

"Sure, just tell me what you need." Nick spent the next couple of hours helping Gideon make his pastries for the morning deliveries, and in 'helping' he mostly watched a master work his art while lending a paw when needed. This had been the best morning following the best night he'd had in so long, it wasn't funny—and he had Judy to thank for both (he was learning to bake to impress her, after all). And watching a master work his trade was always interesting, especially since Nick found Gideon really easy to talk to and they spent most of their time talking, laughing, and baking, with the occasional interruption when a customer came in to buy one of Gideon's masterpieces.

They were just pulling the last of the pies from the oven when the back door opened and a ferret walked in. Nick's ears immediately perked up as the newcomer slipped in through the metal door at the back of the kitchen, then turned and closed it behind him.

"Sorry, Gid, for being late. Tiffany was up all night with our new litter and I needed to give her a chance to catch a few ZZZ's before coming in." Looking up from closing the door, the newcomer froze upon seeing another red fox in the bakery's kitchen. Red foxes were rare in this part and this one didn't look like he was related to Gideon. So who was he? And why was he here?

"Oh, hey, Travis. I got your message and it's no problem at all. Nick, here, 'as been helpin' me out this mornin'."

Nick wiped his paws off, then walked over and shook Travis's paw, even as the still surprised ferret did little more than nod as his paw was shook. With a grin, Nick said, "It's nice meeting you, Travis, I'm Nick, Nick Wilde."

"Uh, yeah," Travis stumbled over his words as he hadn't expected to meet another red todd when he came to work today. "I'm Travis, uh, Travis Sablesen."

With a grin, Gideon, explained, "Nick's going to be helping us out here for a while."

Travis's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "He is!?" He and Gideon had been friends for as long as he could remember, but they lost contact the end of their junior year in high school. He'd been caught stealing and had gone to Juvie for several months. By the time he got out, he had learned Gideon's parents had packed him up and sent down to live with his grandparents in Badger Grove. It wasn't until Gideon moved back to Bunnyburrow and opened his bakery that they reconnected.

And the timing couldn't have been better. He met the love of his life almost a year ago and they had now been married almost six months, with their first litter having been born nearly a month ago. He didn't have the best reputation in town, so finding a steady job was difficult. But when Gideon moved back, he offered to give Travis a job if he kept his nose clean and worked hard—_which he had_. He refused to be a dead-beat dad who sat around the house drinking the family funds away like his pa had, so he desperately needed this job.

But seeing another fox here in the bakery made him question how long he might have this job. Gideon wasn't thinking of replacing him . . . was he?

Seeing the uncertainty on the ferret's face, Nick could easily guess the direction his thoughts were headed and hastily held up his paws, saying, "It's only part-time and probably won't last more than a week."

Travis noticeably relaxed as he muttered, "Oh." Although Nick claimed to be only working part-time for a short while, Travis wasn't sure Nick would actually move on after the week was up. Gideon was a really easy-going boss and his bakery was doing really good now that Stu had a signed a partnership with his red friend. So, what reason would Nick have for moving on? With a slightly twitching nose, he looked the strange todd over while wondering why he had shown up here. There were a lot of jobless predators traveling through Bunnyburrow looking for a better life outside the city. Was he one of them? And had he pegged Gideon as some sort of an easy job opportunity seeing as they were both red foxes?

Slapping Nick on the back, Gid explained, "Nick's from the city and he's here lookin' for Judy Hopps. He needs ta talk to her and I've agreed to help him."

"You lookin' for Judy Hopps?" Travis asked as his suspicions took a dark turn. "I thought all the predators in Zootopia hated Judy." Travis hadn't been the nicest to Judy Hopps when they were younger, but like Gideon, he'd grown to regret his actions. Not about most of the other mammals here in Bunnyburrow who he had picked on as a kit—most of them were real jerks themselves, including a fair number of Judy's siblings—but Judy had never been a jerk and Travis now regretted how he treated her, though at the time, her gun-ho attitude and big dreams just rubbed him the wrong way. When you live in a rundown home with a dead-beat, alcoholic dad you learn really fast not to dream and not to try—you got fewer beatings that way.

Travis's time at Juvie gave him a chance to reevaluate his life as he was given a really good councilor—a rabbit buck, strangely enough—but it wasn't until after he met Tiffany that he really got his life together. And life couldn't be better, and he partly had Judy Hopps to thank for it. Although he hadn't been close to her, when he'd heard she had finally made it into the police academy he started seeing her as role model instead a dumb bunny with stupid dreams. If she could fulfill her dream of being a big city cop, then maybe he could make something of his life, too.

That's when he decided to clean up his act and actively pursue Tiffany. It took him several weeks to convince her to give him a chance, but once they started dating, he put into practice all the little, considerate things his mom had tried for years to teach him about how to treat a female (in essence, the exact _opposite_ of how his dad had treated his mom all his life), and to show Tiffany he was worth her time and affection. After several months of dating, he popped the question and she readily accepted. It was still a struggle making ends meet, but once Gideon opened his shop and partnered with Stu Hopps (Travis knew Judy was to thank for her dad's change in attitude towards foxes), then Travis had been working his tail off to provide for his mate and his first litter.

So, seeing this strange city todd and hearing how he was looking for Judy put him on edge as most predators from the city weren't happy with her right now, and many wished to hurt her.

Seeing Travis's suspicious look, Nick held his paws up again. "Look, I'm not here to hurt Judy—_far from it_. She's a friend I met in Zootopia, but we had a fight after her press conference. I need to find her and apologize and see if we can't mend our broken friendship."

Travis studied Nick for a moment, then glanced at Gideon. At his friend's nod, Travis relaxed. If Gid said Nick was okay, then he would believe him. With a nod, he asked, "So, how did you meet Judy, if you don't mind me askin'?"

Nick leaned against the table, then crossed his arm over his chest while raising the other one to cough into his paw while saying, "I, uh," cough, "hustled 20 bucks from her."

Travis's jaw dropped even as his small ears perked forward in shock. "You . . . _hustled_ . . . 20 bucks from her!?" Judy was one of the smartest rabbits he knew, so Travis had a hard time believing a slick city fox had hustled any money from her, let alone 20 dollars.

Nick flicked his ears back a moment and said, "Oh, yes, but she caught me in the hustle later that day, tried to arrest, but couldn't since _'technically'_ I wasn't breaking any laws." With a shrug, he added, "Of course, she got me good the next day by blackmailing me into helping her find all those missing mammals. At the time, I hated it, but it wasn't long before I started to see it as the best thing that ever happened to me."

Travis's jaw went slack again and his eyes widened. "Judy _blackmailed_ you!" he exclaimed while pointing at Nick. "By-the-Book Judy _blackmailed_ you!?" Having watched Judy in elementary and middle school, and how she always followed the rules, turned her assignments in on time (usually receiving the highest marks), aced most of her tests, and was always currying favor with the teachers (a lot of students called her a teacher's pet behind her back), Travis had an even harder time believing Judy could blackmail anyone. Blackmail was against the law and Judy's whole _career_ was about _upholding_ the _law!_

"That's what I said." Titling his head slightly and rubbing his chin while remembering it (and not forgetting how hard Finnick laughed at him), he said, "From the way she was acting and how well she played the part, I'd say it wasn't the first time she blackmailed someone." With a grin at how well she fooled him, he added, "She was really devious and had every angle accounted for." Meeting Travis's shocked expression, Nick said with a grin, "She is truly a bunny after my own heart."

Shaking the stupor from his mind, Travis scratched the back of his head while looking off towards the sink where several dishes were now piled up. He had a hard time imagining Judy Hopps as a blackmailer, but then again, he hadn't seen her much since his time in Juvie. Mostly from a distance when they both happened to be in town at the same time.

Turning his attention back to the other todd, he studied Nick for a moment. If Judy had really been friends with the city fox and he was here to fix what he broke, then he wanted to help. He had heard (and seen) that Judy was having a rough time since coming back and he hoped Nick could help her get better.

After taking a deep breath, Travis said, "Well, if I can help in any way, let me know."

Nick nodded, but Gideon was the one to speak. "Nick's going with me this morning to make my deliveries, so if you can run the shop while we're gone, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course," Travis said, "I'll wash the dishes, too."

Gideon beamed at this since he and Nick had used a lot of dishes this morning. They had washed some as they went along, but they had continued using them and now had a sizeable stack again.

Gideon had been struggling to run the shop, bake, and clean up after himself when he first opened the bakery, so when Travis came around asking for work, he jumped at the chance. He and Travis had been the best of friends when they were younger and he wanted to give his friend a chance, especially after hearing he'd gone and gotten himself married and needed a job to support his wife and their kits on the way.

Gideon knew how bad Travis's family life had been with him having an abusive drunk for a dad, so he was proud of his friend for wanting to break the cycle of abuse and neglect and step up to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband and soon-to-be father. And now he _was _a father, and Travis worked extra hard to be the loving dad and husband his own father had never been. Like this morning, with Travis choosing to stay home and take care of his kits so Tiffany could get a few hours of sleep before starting her busy day taking care of their home and demanding infants (they had four who never seemed to want to sleep at the same time).

Turning his attention back to all his and Nick's hard work from this morning, Gideon grinned. With all the pies and pastries ready for delivery (in addition to the Hopps' booth, Gideon also made deliveries to a couple of other booths here in Bunnyburrow, along with several outlying families), Nick and Travis helped Gideon load them into his delivery truck.

Once everything was loaded up, Nick picked up one of the little message cards and envelopes that Gideon kept on hand for customers to use when ordering pies and pastries to be delivered to their friends and family. After writing a quick note to Judy, Nick grabbed his black Stetson hanging on a hook near the door (he didn't want to get it dirty while baking), then climbed into the passenger seat.

As Gideon climbed into the driver's seat, he turned to his fellow fox and asked, "Are you ready to meet some of Judy's siblings?"

Nick flicked his ears back while remembering how big Judy's family was and the fact they strongly disliked unfamiliar predators. "Yes, I guess." They wouldn't chase him up a flagpole or a streetlamp . . . _would they?_ Wait, did they even have lamp poles near their stand? Or flagpoles? Nick reached up and tugged on his ear.

Gideon simply laughed at Nick's uncertain reply. "Don't worry. It'll only be one or two at the booth."

Nick nodded but didn't reply as they drove down the road. He was too busy wondering how her family would take his friendship with Judy. Would they actually pass a message along? He really hoped he didn't have to wait till the rodeo started before he could find her. If her siblings refused to pass a message along, maybe he could meet her parents at the rodeo grounds and help set up. If he left a good impression on them, maybe they would get a message to her—_or better yet_—take him home to meet her themselves.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't even realize they'd reached their destination until the truck stopped and Gideon said, "Okay, Nick, we're here at the Hopps' Family Booth."

Nick turned his attention back to the road and saw a roadside booth that was obviously built by rabbits as its large sign was very telling. The sign had a lavender cartoonish rabbit head painted at the top and two bright orange and green carrots painted at either side of the booth's name, _Hopps Family Farm_, written in bright yellow paint. The booth itself was built on a platform with open sides, a red roof and red awning that overshadowed the tilted counter that was covered with short-sided crates filled with various vegetables and fruit: romaine lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, carrots (of course), cucumbers, radishes, green onions, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and (he saved the best for last)—_blueberries_.

He licked his chops but couldn't see the rabbit manning the booth and wondered where he or she was. Looking around, Nick noticed a tall tree growing off to the right of the stand where a pale, clover-green, two-door jeep was parked under its shade. Seeing the jeep made Nick wonder what Judy would drive. _Did she even have a vehicle?_ He didn't remember seeing her drive anything but that 3-wheeled joke-mobile back in Zootopia.

He turned his attention back to the booth to see a family of sheep had stepped up to block his view, but he did manage to catch a pair of long, black-tipped gray ears now. With his heart hammering in his chest at the sudden chance of meeting Judy, he quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out of the truck.

Getting in line behind a couple of teenage rams who were waiting for their mother to get their order, Nick stood with his tail twitching with anxiety, both from anticipation and fear she might not want to see him. This last had his stomach twisting into knots as he felt closer to her now than he ever had with anyone else, including his family (he felt closest to them when he was really little, but those feelings and memories were a pretty fuzzy now).

As the sheep left, Nick stepped up to the booth to see the gray rabbit doe turned around as she was getting produce from the crates to restock the booth counter.

Taking a deep breath as a slight breeze blew behind him and ruffled his fur, Nick said softly, "Hey, Carrots, it's been a while."

The rabbit doe froze for a second as she suddenly smelled fox behind her, then spun around with her gray nose twitching in fear.

Nick's eyes widened and he took a hasty step back as his gaze met light-brown eyes in a gray face much younger than Judy's own gray and white face. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were Judy." With his ears back, Nick took a deep breath and (with a shift in the breeze) he caught the rabbit's scent that was definitely _not_ Judy's. Similar, but distinctly different.

"How do you know Judy?" the doe asked with her nose still twitching. The fox in front of her was tall and lean, with a sleek red coat that had orange undertones and which his black Stetson set off nicely. It was a far contrast to Gideon's red coat and round belly and made her wonder which county he came from. Deerbrooke county, perhaps? Or more likely Wolf Creek County? She had heard a lot of red foxes lived in those two counties.

"I met Judy in Zootopia. We became friends when I helped her find the missing mammals." Nick concentrated hard to keep his tail relaxed and swaying gently behind him to hide his anxiety while waiting for the doe's response.

With her ears twitching slightly in thought, the doe then replied, "Judy never mentioned a fox helping her."

Nick's tail-tip twitched again as he ran a paw through his head-fur. "We had a bit of a fight after her press conference and I left. I haven't seen her since." Taking a deep breath, he added, "I came here to apologize." Shaking his head, he said, "I _need_ to apologize to Judy."

The doe continued staring at the large fox as her nose twitched with uncertainty while trying to determine whether or not the red fox posed a threat. There were a lot of angry predators in the city who blamed Judy for their misfortune—predators with sharp teeth and killer claws.

There was also a large predator refugee camp outside Elk Meadow and the local predators from Bunnyburrow who had delivered relief supplies (food, blankets, tents, and hygiene kits) always came back with a warning to keep Judy away from the camp. Many of the predators staying there were cross with Judy and blamed her for their present sufferings, with several of the more irate ones promising a painful lesson to her if she ever came around (not that Judy ever would, but that didn't stop the angry predators from hoping).

Stepping around the back of the truck with several pies in his paw, Gideon walked up to the booth and said, "Mornin, Shaylee. I brought the day's shipment of pies."

Shaylee nodded, then asked, "You know this fox?"

With a nod, Gideon said, "This is Nick Wilde, and we, we met yesterday. He really needs to see Judy. Being able to meet with Nick might help Judy move past what happened in the city."

The twitching of Shaylee's nose slowed down a bit but didn't completely stop as she considered Gideon's words. "You think it would help Judy to talk to this fox?"

Gideon nodded. "Nick is one of the predators Judy hurt with her speech four months ago, so if'n she can fix things with him, maybe she could move past it. I, I know you don't like seein her all depressed." Gideon's ears drooped a bit and his tail-tip twitched while remembering Judy's downcast expression and listless eyes whenever she came to town.

Shaylee thought about it a moment, then nodded. With only an occasional twitch of her nose, she asked, "So, what did you want me to do?"

Nick's first thought was to ask if she'd escort him to her burrow so he could meet Judy, but remembering how large her family was, he figured it might be safer for him if Judy met him in town—or some other location of her choosing. Holding up the little envelope with his message in it, Nick said, "Can you give this note to Judy and let her know I'm in town? I'll be staying with Gideon while I'm here."

Shaylee gingerly reached over to take the envelope, then wrinkled her nose as it reeked of fox musk. She wasn't sure how her sister would take hearing that the fox was in town and looking for her, but if it helped Judy move on with her life, then Shaylee figured it couldn't hurt. And if Judy didn't want to talk to the fox, then she would be forewarned about him and wouldn't be surprised by his sudden appearance should she actually make it to town (she'd been avoiding town and large groups of mammals ever since she came home).

"Thanks, Shaylee. I appreciate it," Nick said while slipping his paws into his pocket (and hoping it made him look less threatening).

"Don't thank me yet. Judy hasn't yet agreed to see you."

Nick merely grinned. "She will."

Shaylee nodded while wondering about his cheeky confidence. Judy didn't have a lot of close male friends, and at the moment, she wasn't feeling up to spending time with them or any of her other friends, so why did this city fox think it would be different with him? Would talking to him really help her sister? Slipping the note into her back pocket, she said, "Well, I'll pass your message along but no guarantees she'll want to see you."

Tipping his hat, Nick took a step back and reiterated, "She will." Then he spun around and walked back to the delivery truck.

"Thanks again, Shaylee. I, I really think it'll help Judy a lot if she, she can meet Nick," Gideon said. At Shaylee's silent nod, Gideon returned to the truck where he and Nick finished unloading the goods for the Hopps' booth, then waved goodbye to the gray doe who looked so much like Judy and yet _didn't_.

"So," Nick said, as they started towards the next stop, "do you think she'll deliver the message?" Although he was looking confidently out the window, Nick didn't have much hope. Although Judy gave him the benefit of the doubt when they first met, she was still quick to assume the worst from him. And this was one of her obviously timid sisters with the way her nose was twitching the whole time they were talking.

Gideon shrugged. "That was Shaylee, so I think she will. She's not as specist as some of the others." Out of all of the Hopps' kits, Shaylee was one of the few (along with Judy) that he was most comfortable around as they never picked on him or tried to tear him down as so many others had, both predator and prey alike, but mostly the prey.

Nick raised his eyebrow while remembering Shaylee's fearful reaction to him (he was dressed in his country duds, after all, not his city fox clothes). Shaking his head and hoping against hope that Judy would call him tonight (he already had his hopes raised once today and just as quickly had them dashed, and he didn't really want a repeat), Nick turned his attention to the fields they were passing while wondering what Judy was up to right now.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoy it. I'm tired and its late, so no notes tonight. Chapter 6: So Close, will post in 2 weeks. The chapter title says it all. Have a great weekend.


	6. Chapter 6: So Close

With as late as Judy had been up, she awoke late the next morning—and for once no one interrupted her beauty sleep. Which she was grateful for as her dream of Nick last night had taken a strange turn. It was a good dream—a _really_ good dream—but it was strange, none the less. Although, with what she discovered about her true feelings for Nick, she probably shouldn't be surprised.

Raising her paw, she lightly touched her lips as she remembered the last part of the dream with crystal clarity. It was the first time Nick had kissed her after accepting her apology under that stone bridge he seemed to always be under in her dreams (she still wasn't sure what that was all about). She had never kissed anyone before, so she had no idea what it would feel like, but she suddenly found herself wondering what it would feel like to kiss a fox.

With a loud groan as she realized where her thoughts were taking her, Judy rolled over and buried her face in her pillow. "Mandy," she mumbled into the pillow, "you ruined me!" She had only ever looked (or thought) of Nick as a friend—_a really good friend_—but _just_ a friend. But now, her thoughts and dreams had turned traitor on her, as they suddenly saw Nick in a completely different light—a light she had never pictured any male in before. The idea of being with a male had always been foreign to her as she had never met one that really appealed to her on an emotional or physical level, but now, she was already wondering what it would feel like to have Nick press his lips to hers.

Moving her face to rest her cheek on her pillow, Judy bit her bottom lip as she suddenly wondered about another part of his anatomy—a part she'd been taught to fear her whole life. While thinking of Nick, she found his teeth suddenly fascinating. What would his sharp predatory teeth feel like when they kissed? Although sharp, she knew Nick's teeth weren't as slender and pointed as a feline's teeth (a few of her childhood friends were in the cat family), so she wasn't worried about accidently cutting herself on them, but she was still curious. _Very_ curious.

Rolling over, she threw the blankets off her and sat up. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she said, "Stop it, Judy. He's a fox and you're a bunny! He'll probably never see you as anything more than a friend, so stop thinking about kissing him!" But no matter what she told herself, she couldn't stop her nose from twitching slightly in curiosity and—if she wasn't lying to herself—_anticipation_. With her ears perked forward, her mind returned to her dream and the kiss Nick had given her.

With a slight growl at her traitorous thoughts, she stood up, then hissed in pain and plopped back on the bed as her thighs and backside suddenly screamed at her for the abuse she'd given them last night. "Saddle-sores," she mumbled. "Should have seen those coming." As it had been years since the last time she rode, and seeing how long she'd been in the saddle last night, her muscles were no longer used to the pounding her legs received while riding in a saddle and she was feeling it this morning.

Scooting back further on the bed, she pulled her legs up and began stretching her tight, aching leg muscles. She started by putting her feet together and pulling them towards her waist while leaning forward and immediately felt her thigh and butt muscles stretching. She had taken gymnastics when she was younger, and her coach had stressed the need for stretching her muscles before and after exercise. It didn't take her long to figure out the stretches worked great for birdriding, too. These stretches also saved her while she was at the ZPA, as she had to work five times as hard as everyone else which meant her muscles took five times the beating with how hard she pushed herself.

If not for these stretches, and a few other ones for her upper body, she wouldn't have been able to move after those first few days at the Academy as her muscles would have tightened up and left her little more than a cripple—at least that's how it would have felt, she was sure. And seeing how stiff a few of her bunk mates were in the morning who had failed to stretch properly the day before further pushed her to properly stretch before and after each of their exercises.

After stretching her legs like this for a few minutes, she switched to extending one leg out in front of her and reaching down to touch her toes with her fingers, then switching legs. She went back and forth a few times, then stood up. Although still sore, it wasn't as bad, nor were her legs as tight. Taking a deep breath, she set about getting dressed.

After pulling on some comfortable jeans and an old, faded lavender button-up shirt (never wear something nice when riding out in the boondocks or they might get snagged on a tree branch or bush as you ride by), Judy grabbed the fanny pack she used when riding, then dropped her wallet and phone inside before digging her lavender cowboy hat with its dark, amethyst hat band out of her closet. Plopping it on her head and then adjusting it slightly so her ears fit through the ear holes properly, she then turned and slowly opened her bedroom door and peeked out into the hall.

Sticking her head out a moment later, she listened intently before slipping out of her room. Using her excellent hearing, she made her way silently through the burrow while avoiding the kerfluffle (she would never make it outside if any of her young nieces and nephews saw her). Although she loved the little bunnies, right now she was on a mission—a mission to make it to the kitchen, pack a quick brunch, then make it out to the barn without being seen. Since she was going emu hunting, she was going to ride out to pick hers up (provided George had one worth buying).

Slinking through the burrow like a ninja, she was nearly caught several times as some of the little bunnies in the burrow came running down the hallway she was sneaking down, but as her young nieces and nephews hadn't yet developed the art of silence (their yells and giggles were quite loud, as was the thumping of their soft, little feet), she heard them a mile away and was able to duck down an adjoining hallway until the little bundles of noisy energy ran past.

After what felt like hours (but was probably only 10 minutes), she made her way to the kitchen. Slipping in, she quietly shut the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly moving to the cupboard, she grabbed a Ziplock bag and stepped into their large walk-in fridge. Going to her favorite vegetables, she grabbed a bunch of carrots, some broccoli, then finished with some cauliflower and celery sticks. Zipping the bag shut, she stuffed it in her fanny pack (she'll eat once she was in the saddle) and pulled out the two water bottles from the holders at either side of the pack. She had just finished filling the second bottle with water and was putting the cap back on when a couple of her brothers walked into the room.

"Hey, Judy. You finally decided to get up?" her light-tan brother with chocolate ears asked. He was wearing a blue and black cowboy shirt and dark blue jeans with a black belt that had a silver belt buckle he'd won at the rodeo a few years back. He was the Barrel Racing Regional Champion and had even beaten a few of the larger mammals in his size class.

"Hi, Randy, Lucas." Nodding to her tan brother first, Judy then nodded to her light gray brother who was wearing a dark yellow shirt and light blue coveralls. With a cheerful voice that neither buck had heard in months, Judy then said, "I was up late last night, so I slept in late this morning."

Lucas raised his eyebrow as he stepped farther into the kitchen and went the cupboards with cups. After grabbing two and pawing one to Randy, he turned around and asked, "You stayed up late?" Everyone in the burrow knew Judy went to bed early and got up late ever since she returned from Zootopia. So, hearing that his sister had stayed up late was hard to believe, especially when coupled with that eerily cheerful voice she was using. Not that Judy being cheerful was eerie in itself, but she had been so depressed these last few months that it was creepy to see her cheerful now. It made him wonder if an alien had snatched her body and was pretending to be her. _Body Snatchers_ had been one of his favorite movies in high school and that's how Judy was acting now.

With a nod (and completely oblivious to her brother's strange thoughts), Judy put her water bottles back in their place on her fanny back and snapped the straps down to hold them in place (she bought this pack specifically so she wouldn't lose her water bottles on a long bird ride). Glancing at her brother who was standing there gaping at her, she asked, "Didn't Mark tell you?"

"Tell us what?" Randy asked with a raised eyebrow. His thoughts mirrored Lucas's in thinking Judy might have been snatched by aliens (he'd watched the movie, too). This just wasn't the Judy they had gotten used to seeing these last couple of months. The vibrant, gung-ho sister who left for the city had returned a sad shell of herself—not this cheerful bunny who was dressed to spend the day outside in the sunshine. Now, if she actually _smiled_, Randy would know for sure that she had been snatched by aliens.

Judy tilted her head. "I went night riding last night." With a small grin and shrug of her shoulders, she explained, "It had been a long time since I'd last ridden, and since the night was calm and the moon bright, I rode for several hours."

Both her brothers' jaws went slack as this was the last thing they had expected to hear from their depressed sister (_She actually smiled! This __**wasn't **__their sister, but an __**alien**__ look-alike!_). The fact Judy had gone riding last night added to their belief that she was body-snatched, as their sister had all but given up on riding in her quest to get into the police academy, and when she returned from the city with broken dreams, she hadn't even looked at the birds or given them a second thought. So, what made her go riding last night? (Although neither buck really believed in aliens, the idea of their possible existence was growing on them).

"Why?" Randy finally asked as he fiddled with the empty cup in his paw. Judy had derailed his train of thought with her cheerful attitude and he hadn't yet remembered to fill it with the homemade lemonade he and Lucas had come in for.

"Just because I felt like it," Judy answered with a bright smile. (Both Randy and Lucas were now 100% positive their sister had been snatched by aliens). With a slight tilt of her head, she asked, "Do I need another reason?" Judy knew that her cheerful attitude and vague answer was confusing her brothers, but there was no way she was going to tell them that she had fallen for a city fox and that she needed to come to terms with her romantic feelings for him. She was just now pulling herself together and she didn't feel like dealing with her brothers teasing her for falling for a predator, especially if they were against the idea—which she was sure they would be.

Judy watched her brothers glance at each other, but before they could say anything, she grabbed a pawful of grapes from a bowl on the counter and said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going riding again and will be gone most of the day." Escaping out the back door, she didn't wait for a reply.

As the door swung shut behind her, Judy took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She was going to be okay. Although she looked and sounded cheerful in front of her brothers, it was merely a sad façade. Although she felt better this morning than she had in months, the sad truth was that her heart still ached at her monumental bungle four months ago and the clouds of depression still hung about her—she was simply ignoring them today. But although she wasn't sure how long it would take to fully overcome her depression, she wasn't one to give up.

Today was the first day of the rest of her life. When she was younger, she knew exactly what she wanted from her life and planned accordingly—but her dreams went up in smoke along with half the city of Zootopia, along with the betrayal she'd seen on the face of the best friend she'd ever had.

She was devastated after the conference when she lost Nick, and then, as the city fell apart around her with all the protests, and then predators started losing their jobs and then their homes, and then some prey started picking on (attacking) predators and then claiming they were savage when they turned to defend themselves—it was awful. But now she finally had a new goal. First, she was going to get her life back. And then, one way or another, she was going to track Nick down and apologize, and then she would do whatever it took to convince him to let her stay with him.

_First things first_ . . . she had to move past her moping and get a life. She really hoped George had a good Island emu she could buy. The Dwarf emus from King Island were just too small for her taste, and the Tasmanian and Mainland emus were _way_ too big. But the Island emus that originated from Kangaroo Island were just the right size. And training her own bird would help her move past the disastrous press conference and closer to her goal of finding Nick.

With a broad smile, she jogged to the barn and slipped in. Picking up a bridle, she walked out to the pasture where the birds grazed during the day. Skipping past the dodos and rheas that were milling around the yard, she made her way to one of the light-brown feathered female emus.

"Hey, Pebbles," she said while lightly scratching the bird's head. While feeding her the grapes, Pebbles chirped at her happily. After the bird finished her snack, Judy slipped the bridle onto her head and led the light brown emu back to the barn. She quickly saddled the large emu (large compared to a rabbit, but still much smaller than a Mainland or Tasmanian emu), grabbed an extra halter and lead rope, and then led the animal outside. Once in the saddle, Judy turned Pebble's head and headed towards town, even as she wondered what Nick was up to at this very moment.

With all the savage attacks, she doubted he was still hustling. Obtaining the supplies would be nearly impossible now, and as for a predatory fox selling anything—_forget it_. So, what would her fox do with all his free time? Was he hunkering down in some hidey-hole in Zootopia, or had he fled like so many other predators had? But where would he go? Did he perhaps have family somewhere? Or was he in one of the predator refugees' camps that had popped up to give temporary relief to the fleeing predators? A lot of the locals farmers (her family included) donated some of their surplus crops, as well as clothes and hygiene kits, to the refugees, along with the predators in town, who would then drive the supplies out to the camp and distribute them.

With a deep breath (and wishing Nick was here in Bunnyburrow with her), she turned her attention back to the road and her current destination.

….….

Nick and Gideon spent the next hour driving down the dusty country lanes, stopping at a booth here and one there, and even a few farmhouses. At each stop, Gideon would introduce Nick as a visiting friend so that the town (and neighboring farms) wouldn't see Nick as a stranger, but (hopefully) a friend). And although most of those they saw were prey, with a fair number being rabbits, prairie dogs, and sheep, Nick did get to meet a nice family of red squirrels, a porcupine couple, an elderly coyote couple, and then a mother cougar.

Meeting the female cougar put a surprised smile on his face, for as they walked up to the front porch, Nick caught two young kits, a boy and girl, in the back who were up to some interesting fun. They were both riding on the back of a large tortoise. The male kit in front was holding a long stick with a head of lettuce attached to it on a string. The kit was dangling the lettuce in front of the tortoise's head to get him moving. Whichever direction the kit pointed the stick, the tortoise chased after the lettuce held just out of reach. Nick chuckled at the young cougars' antics.

When Nick asked about the giant tortoise, the mother, Mrs. Pamela Cattersen, explained, "Oh, that's our pet, Tommy. He's been in the family going on four generations, now." Glancing around, she added, "His mate, Gladys, is around here somewhere." With a shrug and a smile, she said, "The kits just love them."

Motioning towards the kits, Pamela continued, "I used to do that when I was a kit, too. It was always a fun way to get around." Grinning, she added, "_Slow_—but fun." With a light chuckle, she then said, "Sometimes, we'd even have a race between Tommy and Gladys. Sometimes it was to see who was the fastest, and at other times we'd place bets on who was the slowest." With a tilt of her tan-colored head and flick of her tan tail, she explained, "Tommy is actually faster than Gladys, but it always depends on their mood as to which one wins."

Nick's tail was wagging excitedly to hear about this local tradition and wondered what other fun traditions he might find here in Bunnyburrow. On this thought, he immediately thought of Judy and wondered what interesting traditions her family might participate in.

After a few more words and a hello from Nick to the two kits, Mike and Michelle, he and Gideon climbed back in the delivery truck and headed to their last destination. Surprisingly enough, it was a family of tigers. This really surprised him as he didn't think the large (and timid) rabbit population would tolerate one of the big cats (bigger than a mountain lion) here in Bunnyburrow. Especially such large predators known historically as fierce fighters. Whenever a war broke out in the past, the tiger and lion divisions always fought with deadly ferocity and caused the highest number of casualties in the opposing army.

When he asked Gideon about the family, he informed Nick that the wife, a Mrs. Jasmine Tiggersen, and her older brother, Tony Tigre, were really close friends with Judy when they were younger, and that Judy still kept in touch with them when she was in town. With a chuckle, Gideon said, "In fact, Judy did this silly little play when she was younger that she got Tony ta play in with her, along with her friend Sharla Whitecoat—she's a black sheep, and Bobby Cutmaul—he's a bobcat." With a shake of his head while remembering that day (and again regretting what he did to Judy after the play), he flicked his tail and looked off down the road. "That was first time she said she wanted ta be a cop."

Nick perked his ears forward. "Really? She said she wanted to be a cop during a _play?_ A play that she . . _. what?_ She _wrote?"_

Gideon nodded. "That's right. And she was just a tiny little thing, too." Putting his paw down near the truck seat they were sitting on, Gideon indicated how small she was back then. With a chuckle, he added, "But boy, did she have a lotta spunk."

Nick nodded while trying to picture a young Judy in a play with her friends. Turning back to Gideon (he'd been staring out the window at the fields of crops they passed), he asked, "And she did this play with two of her feline friends and a sheep friend?" The idea that Judy was in a play surprised him. But after a moment's thought, he realized Judy was a pretty good actress considering how she played him like a fool after he first refused to help her.

Gideon flicked his ear and explained, "The four of them were pretty tight in elementary school, but then Sharla's family moved away during the summer before they started middle school. Judy started hanging out a lot more with Tony and Bobby and their sisters after that."

At first, Nick felt a bit surprised that Judy had spent a lot of time with a bunch of felines when she was growing up, but after a moment's thought, he realized it made sense. Judy didn't have a problem working with larger mammals at the ZPD (many of whom were very large predators) and she wasn't scared at all of Manchas when they first spoke to him, nor did she freeze up after he went savage on them—and even stayed focused enough to save his life . . . _twice!_ And then she had no problems sneaking past a pack of wolves at the asylum where they found the missing mammals.

Knowing this, several more puzzling pieces fell into place regarding the rabbit known as Judy Hopps and painted a clearer picture of the ball of energetic fluff he'd come to see as a friend. A very dear friend he hoped still was and that she could still forgive him after how he treated her at the press conference.

After making the last delivery, Nick and Gideon returned to the bakery to see how Travis was doing. With it being summer, they had a lot more sales in the late morning and early afternoon than they did when school was in session, and there were now several tables in use as prey and predator alike came to enjoy Gideon's masterpieces as a late morning snack or early lunch (not necessarily the healthiest meal, but they were made with fresh fruit and other natural ingredients).

Seeing as Travis had the front covered, Nick joined Gideon in the back to help him bake replacements for the best sellers that had already sold out. After getting several pies in the oven, Nick decided to bake Judy a carrot cake and Gideon agreed to teach him the art of cake making.

….….

As Judy neared the town, she slowed down and studied the layout. She didn't want to ride through the middle of town (even though it was common practice, Judy didn't feel like talking to anyone who would recognize her—which, due to the news coverage, was just about everyone at this point). But at the same time, she didn't want to take the time to ride clear around the town, either. Although she wasn't on a set time schedule, she just wanted to pick up her emu and return home.

After a moment's thought, Judy finally decided to take the back streets through town. She shouldn't run into too many mammals that way, nor would she be wasting a bunch of time by riding around the sprawling town of Bunnyburrow.

While navigating through the side and backstreets of the town, Judy was considering herself lucky not to have run into anyone just before the back door to Mike's Hardware Store opened and a bobcat stepped out to throw a bag of trash in the dumpster.

Judy froze to see the familiar cat, even as the bobcat froze upon seeing Judy. Her sudden appearance startled him, but he quickly relaxed, saying, "Hey Judy, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Hey, Bobby, how have you been?" Judy asked. Bobby Cutmaul was a childhood friend of hers. He had been in charge of the music during the play she put on when she was nine, and they did a lot of study groups together in middle school and high school. They also did a lot of birdback riding together, along with his two younger sisters and couple of their tiger friends. His sisters, Brianna and Brittany, were in gymnastics with her, too, but she hadn't seen much of Bobby (or any of her friends, really) after she left for college. They all went their separate ways and just kind of drifted apart.

A grin spread across Bobby's dark brown face, with its black markings, as he replied, "I'm doing fine, Judy. I can't complain about much."

She nodded, then had to think of something else to say. Since she hadn't seen Bobby in so long, she didn't want to just cut and run. Leaning forward to pat Pebbles' neck, she asked, "So is anything new happening with you? It's been a couple of years since I last saw you. How's Carol and the kits?"

Bobby's grin widened. "They're doing great. The kits are getting so big now. Jacob and Daniel are both in baseball this year and Deedee is raising a takahē and riding a dodo in 4-H. She's hoping to enter them in the fair next month."

Judy's face brightened and she actually felt happy for someone else, for a change. Ever since Nick walked out and the city fell apart around her, Judy found it difficult to feel happy about anyone or anything—though waking up this morning with a goal to work towards was a good start. "Wow, Bobby. The last time I saw your kits, Deedee wanted to be a ballerina and the boys just wanted to sit around the house playing video games. It makes me realize how much I've missed."

Bobby chuckled with a flick of his black ear, then explained, "Deedee had wanted to be a ballerina only until she realized how much practice it involved and how she no longer had time to ride or play with her friends. She much prefers being outside with the birds." Scratching the back of his ear, he continued, saying, "And the boys still like their video games, but several of their friends are in baseball, so they joined the team to hang out with them."

Judy sat in the saddle and grinned. "I'm really glad to hear how well your kits are doing." After a moment, her ears drooped and she murmured, "I've been so focused on becoming a cop that I forgot there are other important things in life. I've really missed out on a lot of things, haven't I, Bobby?"

Bobby's ears perked up to hear Judy admit to missing out on their friendship along with everything else she pushed aside in her quest to become a big city cop. With a flick of his short, stub of a tail, he said, "Well, why don't you come over for dinner one of these nights. I know Carol will be happy to see you. And then you can meet the kits again and they can tell you all about their new hobbies."

A small smile spread across Judy's face as she said, "You know what, Bobby? I think I will. How does tomorrow night sound?"

Bobby brightened at Judy's acceptance of his invitation, and after setting up a time, they said their goodbyes. But as Judy turned Pebbles' head to continue her ride through town, Bobby spoke up again. "Oh, Judy, just a heads up."

Judy turned in the saddle to look back over at Bobby with a questioning look.

"There's a new red fox in town." At Judy's surprise, the helpful bobcat said, "He's a friend of Gideon's and is staying with him at the bakery." There was a slight pause as Bobby tilted his head in thought, then mumbled, "Or was it his cousin?" With a shrug of his shoulders and a flick of his ear, her friend continued, "Anyways, if you run into another red fox in town, you don't need to worry. He seems like a nice enough fellow."

Judy nodded, then asked, "Did you catch his name by any chance?" Although she knew it was a far-fetched idea, hearing that a red fox had come to town made her immediately think of Nick. Which in turn made her heart ache knowing it couldn't possibly be him. He had no earthly reason to come to Bunnyburrow. And he certainly wasn't friends with Gideon. But still, she couldn't stop her heart from hoping against hope that he had come for her.

"Nah, sorry, Judy, I only overheard a couple of customers talking about it in the store. Apparently, he rode out with Gideon earlier this morning to help him deliver his pies."

"Oh, okay." Judy's ears drooped, even as her heart ached. Without a name, she felt sure it couldn't be Nick. After how she treated him at the press conference, what would posses him to come looking for her? With a heavy sigh, she said, "Well, thanks for the heads up. I better get going. I'm emu hunting today."

Bobby raised his eyebrow. "Emu hunting?"

Judy beamed at him. "Yep, I'm buying me an emu and training it so I can join the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol."

Bobby grinned. "Wow, Judy, that's sounds like a great idea. And you were always such a great rider—I know you'll fit right in with them."

"Thanks," Judy replied. "Well, I better get going before all the good emus are taken. I'll see you tomorrow night, Bobby."

"See you, Judy." After watching Judy ride off, Bobby shook his head while still grinning, then turned and finished making his way to the dumpster so he could finally get rid of the bag of trash he'd been holding.

While thinking back, Bobby remembered the harsh words Judy had said at the press conference four months ago, words that had shocked him and his family and left him in a muddled mess for weeks as he felt torn about what she said.

Being out here in the country, her little speech didn't affect them too much personally, but there had still been quite a bit of resentment from the predator population—especially once the predators fleeing the city came through town and finally settled in the refugee camp outside of Elk Meadow. But although her words had hurt him, Bobby had still defended Judy whenever he could. After knowing her for so long, he couldn't believe she actually believed all that nonsense she had spouted. He felt sure someone had put her up to it. And after meeting her today, he felt even more sure about it, for it was obvious that Judy was still the same rabbit he grew up with—and he intended to ask her why she said what she said at dinner tomorrow night.

As Judy continued on her way, she couldn't get the thought of this other red todd out of her head. The idea that it might be Nick tugged at her heart, and she tried not to get her hopes up. It would hurt too much when she found out it wasn't him.

While being lost in thought, Judy didn't pay attention to where she was riding until the back door of a familiar bakery came into view. Pulling back on the reigns, Judy blinked and her ears perked forward as she realized she'd ridden right up to Gideon's back door while thinking of Nick.

Chewing on her lip, she debated on whether or not she should go in and see who this new todd was. Before she came to a decision, though, the classic, black sports car parked next to Gideon's delivery truck caught her attention. Although she wasn't much into cars, she always appreciated the classics. And the shiny, restored black one in front of her was no exception—especially since this one also happened to be a convertible.

Nudging Pebbles lightly with her hindpaws, Judy looked the black sports car over as Pebbles stepped up to it. It was a beautiful car, and Judy wondered what it would be like to ride in the convertible down the open highway with the top down. She was given the opportunity to ride in one when she was younger but had been too busy studying to accept her friends' offer. But now she was curious about what it would be like. And if Nick was the one driving, the experience would be perfect.

"Wait," she murmured under her breath. "Can Nick even drive?" She had only ever seen him walking or riding passenger in his partner's van. And with such a large, busy city perhaps he walked or took the train and subway everywhere. Would Nick even have a need to drive?

While she was trying to figure out the probability of Nick being a good driver or not (she knew he at least had to have a license—you can't do anything in the city without a driver's license), she heard a crash come from inside the bakery followed by a loud yip, then coughing and sneezing.

Startled out of her existential debate, Judy stared at the back door. Then panicked when the back door was flung open. Turning Pebbles' head, she sprinted around the corner of the neighboring building.

Peeking around the building, Judy watched Gideon and another fox stumble out the door coughing. They were both hunched over, covered in flour, and sneezing their heads off while trying to clear their airway and nose of the fine powdery white stuff that had turned both foxes white with only a little bit of their orangey-red coats showing through.

Ignoring Gideon, Judy studied the new fox. He was tall and lean like Nick, but was clearly wearing blue jeans and what looked to be a green cowboy shirt (it was hard to tell with all the flour covering it)—two things she didn't think Nick would be caught dead in, not with how he teased her about being 'a small town hick from some bunny-choked Podunk who would be forced to come home with her cute fuzzy-wuzzy tail between her legs' to become a 'carrot farmer.'

Pulling her head back from the edge of the building, Judy rubbed her paws down her face and lamented softly to herself, "Nick was _soo_ right about me." With a long groan, she muttered, "About everything." She really was just a small-town hick with big dreams, and when her dreams went up in smoke, she had scurried home with her tail between her legs. And although she wasn't living in literal squalor, it wasn't a far stretch of the imagination to say she'd been living in emotional squalor for the past several months.

Taking a deep breath, Judy sat up straighter in the saddle. Squaring her shoulders, she reminded herself that it was all behind her now. No more moping around or living in emotional squalor. She had a new goal and she wasn't going to stop until she accomplished it.

Glancing back at the corner of the building where she could still hear the two foxes coughing and sneezing, Judy took a deep breath. Not wanting to get caught up in whatever had happened (and her heart hurting as her hopes were indeed dashed about the new todd being Nick), Judy turned Pebbles around and wound her way through the backstreets until she passed the last building. Having left the town behind, Judy tried to focus on her current goal while repeatedly telling herself that she would find Nick. She didn't care how long it took—she _would_ find Nick again.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope the chapter was worth the wait. Next chapter we'll see more of Nick's past, Judy will be sent on a wild-emu chase, and we'll discover the fate of the note Nick handed over to Judy's sister.

FYI: **Giant Tortoises** are just that—GIANT! There are 2 main breeds of giant tortoises: the largest is the Galapagos giant tortoise which lives on the Galapagos Islands off the mainland of Ecuador, and the Aldabra giant tortoise from the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean, 700 km east of Tanzania. It takes the giant tortoise about _20 years_ to reach breeding size. Although slow, they can still cover 3-4 miles in a day traveling over rugged terrain. And with their size and strength, they can easily plow over small trees, people, and fences. The males are generally bigger than the females, too, weighing up to 919 lbs (417 kgs).

**Takah****ē** is a flightless bird of New Zealand. They are about 25 inches in length and stand about 20 inches tall. They are a strong, stocky bird, with a large bill that can deliver a painful bite. But although strong, these birds are fairly sedentary. They are a uniquely colored bird, with a bright red beak and legs, a dark/navy blue head, peacock-blue wings, and teal/green and brown back feathers, with an olive-green tail and a white underside.

Ch. 7: _Yet So Close_, will post in 2 weeks, but will probably be sometime Saturday afternoon. So whatever time this posts your time, add about 12 hours to it, and the chapter should be posted. For those of you reading my other story, Z:AtB, it will also post 12 hours later than usual next week. Take care and be safe.

I hope you have a great weekend. If you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them.


	7. Chapter 7: Yet So Far

Completely unaware that his whole reason for coming to Bunnyburrow had been so close and yet had slipped right past him, Nick stepped away from Gideon and pinched his nose, then shook as much flour off of him as he could. After creating a cloud of flour for his efforts, he then took a hurried step away and breathed deeply. He had stopped coughing, but a few more sneezes escaped him.

"Hey!?" Travis questioned as he scurried through the back door to see what had happened. "Are you two alright?" Wringing his paws, Travis looked the two white foxes over and couldn't help but think they might have found their costume for Halloween—the Twin Ghosts of Bunnyburrow.

Legend had it that about a 100 years ago, two brothers, after hearing that lightening had set fire to their family home and trapped many of their siblings inside, were racing home in a violent thunderstorm and lost control of their Model T near a ravine. The brothers never arrived home and their Model T was found a tangled heap of metal at the bottom of the ravine the next day, with the brothers' bloody and broken bodies still trapped inside. Ever since then, mammals claimed that whenever a violent thunderstorm raged through Bunnyburrow, that the brothers could still be seen haunting the highway near the ravine, unable to find their way back home.

Of course, after the story had been told so many times over the years, the exact species of the brothers had been was lost to history, as some mammals claimed they'd seen a pair of ghostly rabbit bucks haunting the highway, while others claimed it was a couple of rams appearing in the pouring rain. Still others claimed it was a couple of coyotes moving through the wind-lashed trees lining the road. Travis personally thought it was a pair of foxes, as they were extremely loyal to their family and wouldn't be scared off by the raging thunderstorm (like the rabbit and sheep were, and the coyotes living in town were a more recent addition).

Nick waved his paw dismissively at the helpful ferret, even as Gideon said, "Yeah, Travis, we'll be okay. The flour just got away from us."

"Sorry about that," Nick spoke up. "My fingers were resting near the power switch on the mixer when the dishes fell, and my paw jerked." They were mixing up some cake batter in the large, industrial-sized mixer and Nick was helping Gideon pour in the flour when gravity got the best of a stack metal mixing bowls that were waiting to be washed. The sudden loud noise, startled Nick and his paw jerked which knocked the power switch to high and sent the powdery flour flying everywhere.

Waving his paw, Gideon said, "Don't worry about it. I, I can't recall how often I, I coated myself in flour when I, I was learnin'."

Nick nodded even as he sneezed again. Stepping farther away from Gideon, Nick shook himself off a second time, and then had to quickly escape the second cloud of flour he'd shook up. Coughing again, Nick looked over to see Travis had run in and grabbed a couple of hand towels to help brush the flour off.

Seeing Nick look up, Travis waved his paw for Nick to move back over towards him and Gideon so he could help brush him off, too (he was already dusting Gideon off).

Nick stepped over and Travis dusted him off with the towel in one paw while continuing to brush Gideon off with the towel in the other paw. After getting the worst of the flour off with the towels, Nick made a suggestion. "Travis, why don't you go get that big fan I saw in the storage room. We can use it to blow the rest of the flour off." Nick wanted to get as much flour off as he could before hitting the shower. If he knew nothing else about baking, it was that flour and water made a _very_ sticky mess. He used this knowledge in middle school to get back at the kits that muzzled him in elementary school.

By then, Stan (the woodchuck in charge of muzzling him all those years ago), and his little posse of delinquents had shaped up to be quite the bullies, and not just to foxes or other predators. A lot of the smaller prey mammals were picked on by them, too. And it wasn't just the woodchuck and his minions at his middle school who were bullies. There was also a gang of predators that picked on a lot of the '_weaker'_ mammals, prey and predator alike. They and the woodchuck's gang were always getting into arguments, and sometimes event fights, though the fights were rare and only happened off school grounds (they had their school image to maintain if they wanted to continue bullying and getting away with it—lying to the teachers was too easy for them as they had long-since perfected their innocent act).

At any rate, Nick used the two's grudge to get back at his woodchuck arch-nemesis (at least that's how it felt when he was in elementary and middle school) and his hateful gang of prey ruffians without getting caught (his actions were blamed on the rival predator gang of bullies).

Towards the end of his 6th grade year, Nick had snuck into the boys' locker room while Stan and company were outside during gym class (Nick was playing hooky during his history class—they were discussing prey history and he wasn't interested) and rigged it so that when Stan and his gang came in from gym and hit the showers (they always took the showers first and made everyone else wait), that a large bag of flour opened up and dumped on all of them. It was a hilariously sticky mess.

Stan and the others started yelling and screaming their heads off as they jumped out of the shower. While trying to get the gooey white stuff off, they ended up smearing it even worse into their fur and caking it on their paws and ruining several towels.

Nick was laughing his head off with his paws clamped over his muzzle to keep the noise down. If Stan and his cohorts hadn't been yelling so loud (and a lot of the other mammals snickering behind their backs), Nick would have been found out a couple of times when his laughter broke free. Luckily, he wasn't in their gym class, so no one suspected him. Instead, he was hiding in the locker they thought it was fun to stuff him in (they'd never think to look for the culprit in here) while enjoying every minute of Stan's outraged misery.

And to ensure no one suspected him, he left some flour on the handle of the locker of one of the rival predator's lockers and flour on the bottom edge of one of the other predator bully's lockers, along with some _very_ convincing feline paw prints made from the flour (there was this serval cat that was extremely loud in her threats to Stan and his gang if they continued crossing her, along with an African golden cat who went out of his way _'bump'_ into Stan's gang—usually when a teacher was around so Stan couldn't retaliate). The rest of the predators in the gang were made up of a couple of African wild dogs, a dingo, and three meerkats, with a hyena named Vincent as their ringleader.

As it was, Lee, (Stan's zebra cohort), finally suggested they hop back in the showers and rinse the goo off (which at first only made it worse), but they eventually got _most_ of it off. Once they came out and discovered the flour at their rivals' lockers, they hunted them down and started a big fight and all of them were suspended. And with their true characters exposed to the teachers and the principle, they could no longer get away with bullying the other kits and playing their innocent act and getting away with it.

Nick had felt quite proud of himself that day as he not only avenged himself, but also many of the other kits who were bullied by both gangs. And getting back at Stan and Lee and the others helped him move past the whole muzzling incident to some degree. He still hated muzzles, but now when he saw one, he remembered Stan's outraged face and the sticky gooey mess he had become and then the muzzle didn't seem so bad anymore.

Travis perked up at hearing Nick's suggestion. With a wide grin, he said, "Not a bad idea. Why didn't I think of that?" Spinning around, he disappeared back into the bakery.

Glancing over at Nick, Gideon said, "Well, that's a right-smart idea, Nick. I, I would never have thought of it myself."

Nick merely shrugged. "When you live in the city, you learn to improvise and use what you got to solve problems."

Gideon nodded. "I guess so. Me—I, I never had to do much. Never had to think much either." As his gaze dropped to the ground, he murmured sadly, "My pa wasn't around much when I, I was younger. He worked out of town a lot." With a heavy sigh and a slump in his tail, he added, "I wish he'd been home more so he, he could teach me stuff. I, I really missed that. It made me real jealous sometimes to hear the other kits talkin' about their dads and what they did together."

Nodding as he understood how Gideon felt seeing as his own dad was gone a lot before he was falsely accused and jailed, Nick chose to remain silent. He, too, had felt jealous of many of the other kits after his dad lost his business and had to work out of town. But Nick didn't feel like bringing up more of the sad past, so instead, he simply rubbed his paw back and forth through his head fur to dislodge more of the flour.

After a few moments, Nick glanced over at his new friend who was patting flour off of his clothes. Hearing that Gideon's dad hadn't been able to teach him anything helped Nick understand his fellow fox a bit better, for it was obvious Gideon wasn't the sharpest tool in shed. He was an awesome baker but didn't seem too bright in other areas. But regardless, Nick wouldn't trade him as a friend for anything because when it came to foxes, finding a real friend was a difficult task. This fact was more so for him, as he came from a harsh environment like Zootopia where a lot of mammals thought it was their right to step all over foxes and kick them while they were down.

That's why Judy's words hurt so much. He thought he'd found a real friend in her, and then to hear such specist words coming out her mouth—and then not only _seeing_, but _smelling_ her fear back at the press conference when bared his teeth and claws at her—it felt like she'd gouged his heart out with a spoon. But now, knowing what Gideon had done to her all those years ago, Nick would give _anything_ to go back and change that one pivotal moment in time. He wouldn't have scared her, and he certainly wouldn't have disappeared from her life. He might have left to cool his head, but he would have met back up with her and discussed what happened and let her explain herself. But the past couldn't be changed. All he could do was work at changing the future. With a shake of his head, he tried to push the dark memory back down.

Still thinking of the past, Gideon shook his head and added, "My ma always said I, I was born too early and came out before my brains were done cookin'." With a half-smile, he continued, "My ma would always give me a hug and a kiss after tellin' me this, saying that it didn't matter. I was her gift from God and she wasn't tradin' me for nothin'." Gideon's smile slipped a bit as he added, "My teachers always complained I, I was several eggs short of a dozen and why couldn't I, I understand what they were tryin' to teach me?"

Nick's ears flicked back as he'd had a similar experience. Well, not the being born early part. He was right on time and healthy as a crocodile. But the schooling part . . . well, it wasn't quite the same—_okay_, it was the complete opposite of Gideon's problem.

Instead of getting yelled at for not understanding his schoolwork, he was being accused of cheating since he usually knew the answers before the teachers even asked their questions—at least for any subject that interested him. Eventually, he stopped answering questions and started playing dumb. It was amazing what you could do and hear when mammals thought you were too stupid to understand what was going on. This was a valuable life lesson he learned in school and it served him well in his hustles to pompous, stuck-up rich mammals who couldn't understand how stupid they really were (most thought money equated to intelligence—a mistake Nick happily exploited).

While thinking of his past, Gideon's words, and how Judy treated him back in the city he suddenly had an epiphany on her actions. Glancing sharply over at his fellow red fox, Nick slapped a paw over his face and groaned.

Gideon looked up from dusting off the bottom part of his apron and asked, "What's wrong Nick? Did a rheafly bite you or somethin'?"

Nick kept the paw over his face while waving his other dismissively towards Gideon. After a moment, he said, "Judy said some things to me when we first met that were pretty patronizing at the time. But, being here in Bunnyburrow and seeing more of the place and the mammals she grew up with—her actions make perfect sense now and I realize she was actually giving me some high praise."

If Gideon was the _only _**red** fox Judy knew, and he was the standard by which Judy was judging _all_ red foxes by—then, _of course_, she would compliment him by saying he was an _articulate_ fellow. It always bothered him to see her surprise at his intelligence and ability to think ahead in the game whenever he made a contribution to her case. And Judy was quite impressed with his skills when she called him _junior detective_ and suggested he might _actually_ make a pretty good cop.

But now, seeing how Gideon was the standard by which she was judging him by, her surprise and praise made perfect sense. Gideon had mentioned that he was finally able to apologize to her a month ago, so if Judy only knew Gideon when he was struggling in school, then Judy must have assumed he also struggled in school. She probably assumed that his sly fox nature only spoke of his ability to deceive others and had nothing to do with him being a mammal of intelligence.

With a heavy sigh as he rubbed the fur between his eyes, Nick wished he had asked Judy more about her life back when they were chasing down Otterton. That he had tried to see better where she was coming from instead of just assuming he understood her. It was obvious now, after learning more about her, that he hadn't understood her at all.

Gideon flicked an ear and nodded at Nick's words as he glanced around the small town while his tail swished slowly behind him. "Yeah, l, I imagine life is a lot different here than the big city." Glancing up at the blue sky with a few cotton-ball clouds blanketing part of the blue, he then glanced back at Nick and said, "Life moves much slower in these here parts."

Nick studied his friend for another heartbeat, then said, "Yes, yes, it does." Glancing around the alley they were in while remembering the parts of town he had seen so far, Nick glanced back at Gideon and said, "Gideon, please don't ever change."

Gideon's ears immediately perked up and he cocked his head as he said, "Huh?"

With his tail swaying comfortably behind him, Nick explained, "You're a good mammal, Gideon." Pointing a finger at him, he added, "I mean, I'm glad you changed from the bully you were as a kit, but I'm proud of the mammal you've become." Nick waved a paw through the air to indicate his fellow fox, "You've grown into more than just an amazing baker. You didn't even hesitate to give this down-on-his-luck fox a helping paw—you're a good mammal and a great friend and I'm glad to have met you. So, please don't change. We need more mammals like you in this world."

Gideon stared at Nick for a moment, then glanced away as he suddenly felt dirt in his eyes. Rubbing an arm across them, he mumbled, "Ah, shucks, Nick, I, I ain't done nothin, really." Other than his ma and granny, no one had ever said anything so nice to him—or about him—before.

A compliment of this magnitude he never thought to hear in this lifetime, nor did he imagine anyone would ever think so highly of him. He had done a lot of stupid and mean things in his past, and so he didn't have a very good opinion of himself. Which made Nick's praise seem more like something out of a dream or a fairytale than reality. Not sure what to say, Gideon rubbed his arm across his eyes again. Luckily, he didn't have to say anything as Travis walked outside and distracted him.

"Sorry for the wait," Travis said as he walked out carrying a large box fan. "The fan was stuck behind some boxes and then I had to hunt for the extension cord." Setting it on the ground facing the two foxes, he looked up and grinned. "It's all set to go, though. You two ready?"

Gideon was glad for the interruption. Having never had such a high compliment, he didn't know how to respond and was therefore left speechless. But nonetheless, he felt a lot of gratitude towards Nick and considered himself extremely lucky to have met such an understanding, supportive friend. And although he hated what was happening in Zootopia with all those poor predators going savage, the unrest did send Nick his way, so for that he was grateful. Now if Nick could just meet Judy and fix things with her, everything would be perfect.

Looking up to meet Travis's helpful grin, Gideon stepped closer to the fan, along with Nick, and nodded to Travis, who turned the switch on, then watched the flour fly. Gideon did a small body shake to get a bit more of the flour out of his fur (his wide girth and lack of regular exercise prevented him from doing more), but Nick did a full-body shake. Letting the strong wind of the fan blow through his fur and over his clothes, Nick did another full-body shake as he did _not_ want to experience firsthand the sticky mess he'd left Stan and his cohorts in back in middle school.

After the flour stopped flying, they picked up the fan and headed inside. "I'm going to put the fan away and then check on our customers," Travis said as the door shut behind them. Gideon nodded, then he hurried into the large shower attached to the bathroom at the back of the bakery (which was installed for just such an occasion) while Nick headed upstairs to use the shower in the apartment. Gideon had extra clothes stored in the downstairs bathroom, so they didn't need to fight over the shower. The apartment also had its own water heater, so they weren't fighting over the heat, either.

….….

With the blue sky and sun above her and the wind blowing in her face, Judy took a deep breath and enjoyed the peace and beauty of the land around her. It had been far too long since she had been outside and simply enjoyed nature. A few of the black and white magpies were flying overhead, and she caught sight of several robins down in the grass searching for worms. There were also white and pink morning glories growing among the grass in the fields left fallow this season. Closing her eyes for a moment, Judy felt the movements of her mount's body beneath her and the steady beat of Pebble's strong legs as she sped across the land.

Taking another deep breath as she opened her eyes, Judy felt the last of the stress from the last several months blow away in the wind. Much of her stress had dropped off during last night's ride, but she had been too preoccupied with her surprising feelings for Nick to fully relax. But that was behind her now. She accepted her feelings for the sly todd who deftly stole her heart and then ran away with it. And after working a season with Search and Rescue, she would use the money she saved up to head back to Zootopia and look for Nick.

But in the meantime, she would ask some of her predator friends to check at the predator refugee camps that have sprung up and see if Nick wasn't hiding in one of them. If he was in one of the camps, she hoped to persuade him to come to Bunnyburrow with her. Although he probably wouldn't like living in a small hick town after growing up in the big city, living here had to be better than living in a noisy, over-crowded refugee camp. But regardless of _where_ she found him—a refugee camp or Zootopia—or _when_ she found him (she refused to even entertain the thought that she might not), she was going to do her very best to not only win back his friendship, but steal his heart in return.

With a small smirk on her face at the thought of stealing Nick's heart, Judy slowed Pebbles down as they neared the train tracks and stopped to look both ways, even as her ears twitched slightly to catch the faintest sound of an engine. Seeing and hearing no trains coming, she gave Pebbles a slight nudge with her heels to get the bird moving forward. As they crossed the metal tracks, the flightless bird's large feet kicked up some of the gravel that filled in the space between the wooden slats that the rails rested on.

Once back on the open ground, she urged Pebbles back to her ground-eating gait and covered the last several miles to George's farm, all the while she thought of Nick and the likelihood of her finding him sooner rather than later. She didn't have much hope of finding him quickly, but a girl could dream, couldn't she?

As she neared George's farm, Judy turned her thoughts back to the mission at paw and the rabbit family she was about to meet. And though most rabbit families in Bunnyburrow kept their numbers around the 80-100 kit mark (her parents being an exception), George's burrow only had about 60 kits. His farm was one of the smaller ones and so he and his wife, Leslie, didn't have the acreage to house more kits. But that didn't mean theirs was a rundown farm. They had a thriving orchard that not only supplied tree-grown fruits (her family mostly dealt with berries, melons, and grapes, but they did have a few fruit trees) and fruit juices to the populace but also supplied a lot of fruits to the birds many families still raised and used. They also had several acres of alfalfa which made up the bulk of the rheas' diet.

Passing by the Hoppersan's orchards on the one side of the road, Judy took note of the various trees loaded with bright red apples, fuzzy orange-colored peaches and apricots, and yellow pears. Looking to the other side of the road, she saw that these trees were loaded with the native Australian fruits loved by emus and cassowaries, such as the red and blue quandong fruit (that looked a lot like pomegranates), bright red bushels of riberries, and bright-green finger limes. There were also several large cassowary plum trees with their dark blue, egg shaped fruit. Cassowaries loved the fruit (hence the name) and were about the only animals able to stomach their poisonous sap.

After passing by the orchards, Judy sighted the homestead up ahead at the end of the lane. The Hoppersan's had a log cabin theme for the main floor of the burrow that jutted out from the side of a small hill, with several windows built into the side of the hill to allow natural sunlight to penetrate into the burrow built into and below the hill. As Judy rode closer, she caught sight of George Hoppersan, a dark tan buck with dark chocolate ears and markings around his muzzle, sitting in a rocking chair out on the front porch with a glass of ice-cold lemonade sitting on a small table next to him. He was also wearing medium-blue overalls that many farmers in town favored, along with a pale-yellow shirt and a white cowboy hat.

While riding up to the porch, Judy watched George sit up straighter and tip his hat back a bit to get a better look at her. He also had a long stock of grass sticking out of his mouth that he'd been chewing on while rocking comfortably in the early afternoon sun and enjoying the light breeze (with as late as Judy had gotten up, it was now well-past noon).

With a wide grin, George said, "Well, if it isn't Judy Hopps. To what do I owe this visit?" He'd heard Stu's daughter Judy had quit her job and come home not too long ago, but that she wasn't doing too well. Her speech several months past seemed to have hurt her as much as it did the predators of Zootopia. It was crazy to hear what was happening back in the city and made him wonder what the world was coming to. He couldn't imagine how scary it must be to be near one of the predators when they went savage. He thanked Heaven every day that no predators here in Bunnyburrow had yet to go savage—and prayed they never did.

"Good afternoon, George." Stopping Pebbles near the porch, Judy dropped from the saddle and held the reins in her paw as she walked up to the porch. "I heard from a little birdie that you had some riding-aged emus up for sell and I was wondering if I could take a look at them."

"Well, I don't know who told you that. I don't own the birds." With a wide grin and flick of his long, black ears, he explained "My son's girlfriend does, so if you're looking to buy, you'll have to talk to Patty-Mae. She's one of Jonny Leaps' girls down by the river." Waving his paw in the general direction, he explained, "Go back down the road two and a half miles, then take the dirt road on your left. Ride another three miles almost and you'll come to a bunch of mailboxes at a 4-way junction. Take the east rode and ride until you come to a Y in the road and take the right-hand turn. Ride to the end of the road and you can't miss her family's place. It has this big gate with a sign above it that reads: The Lazy L Ranch. The 'L' is laying on its side." With a wide grin, George repeated, "Like I said, you can't miss it."

Judy's ears drooped at hearing she had to go on a wild-hare chase (the Leaps were a family of jackrabbits) just to get her bird. With a deep breath, she pasted on a smile and said, "Thanks, George, for the directions." With a nod towards the older buck, Judy added, "I guess I'll be seeing Patty-Mae, then."

George returned Judy's nod and added, "I'll be seeing you later, then." With a wave, he watched Judy turn Pebbles around and head back the way she had come. He was truly surprised to see Stu's wayward daughter here looking for an emu to buy. With her dream of being a big city cop, she hadn't had much time for birdriding since she graduated high school.

Tipping his head back, George thought of those days when Judy would come over to work on a school project with a couple of his kits. Steve and Sandy always complained, but were so proud when the teacher gave them A's on the school projects they did with Judy. He never did thank her for helping his kits out back then, and not just Steve and Sandy who had class with her. Many of his other kits would always pull their homework out whenever Judy came by, since she was always willing to help them out on any problem they were stuck on. Some days she would even stay hours after her school project was done just so she could tutor some of the other kits who were needing her help.

He will definitely have to thank her the next time she came by. With a light chuckle, George closed his eyes and enjoyed the light breeze blowing in from the orchard with the smells of all the fruits ripening on the trees and which would soon be ready to harvest.

With another chuckle, he thought again of Judy and was glad to see she was beginning to act more like her chipper self again. While thinking of how he still needed to thank her for all the help she was to his kits back when she was in high school, George knew it wouldn't be long before he got his chance. With a twitch of his nose, he knew Judy would be back soon enough. Although he didn't own the emus for sale, and so couldn't sell one to Judy, the birds were indeed here on his property. Patty-Mae had gotten fed up with some of her brothers teaching the birds dumb tricks and so had brought the birds she was raising to sell over here for safe keeping.

Opening his eyes briefly, George pulled out his pocket watch and looked at the time. Putting the watch back in his pocket, George closed his eyes once more while wondering how long it would take Judy to ride over to Patty-Mae's and then back over here again. Stu had worried that Judy was spending too much time cooped up in their burrow, so this would give her a chance to get plenty of fresh air and exercise. This should make Stu happy and lessen some of his worries for his daughter's health.

While trotting Pebbles down the country lane, Judy wondered how her mom had gotten the information wrong about the emus. Bonnie was always meticulous when it came to information floating around town (she hated passing on unbiased rumors and gossip and so made sure she had the facts straight) so she was rarely wrong about the information she had to share.

With sigh, Judy turned her attention back to the task at hand and wondered how many birds Patty-Mae had for sell. Her family raised emus, rheas, and dodos, so it was no surprise that they had some available, but it sounded like Patty-Mae was branching out and was now raising her own to sell. Patty-Mae's older brother, Harry, had never cared much about the family business, so maybe Patty-Mae was hoping to take over when their pa retired. With a shrug, Judy figured she would find out when she found Patty-Mae.

….….

On the other side of Bunnyburrow, Shaylee leaned over the booth's counter as she twirled the little envelope with Nick's message in it back and forth between her fingers. Would it really help Judy if she knew the fox was in town? Would meeting him really help her overcome her depression and move on with her life? Or would meeting the fox only make things worse? Judy was the only one who could say one way or the other. It would be interesting to see how her sister reacted to the news about the red todd being in town. After what happened between Judy and Gideon when they were kits, Shaylee was surprised that Judy would even trust a red fox.

Then again, this Nick character was a lot different from Gideon. He was confident and carried himself well, not to mention, he seemed quite intelligent. He had also won out in the looks department. Not that she had any interest at all in the red todd (she couldn't understand anyone looking outside their own species for romance—a thought most rabbits shared), but she could appreciate good breeding when she saw it. And Nick definitely had good breeding—with his deep, green eyes, shiny coat, and lean body that filled his cowboy outfit out nicely. And Judy always did get along better with the predators in town than she did other rabbits, so maybe meeting Nick again might actually help her sister out. She would be finding out later today.

"Hey, Shaylee," a white-tailed deer buck said as he walked up to the booth. "I need 3 bushels of carrots, 5 celery bunches, and 4 cartons of strawberries."

"Sure, Bentley," Shaylee said as the little envelope disappeared into her back pocket. With a smile on her face, she began filling the two large cloth bags the young buck set on the counter. Bentley was easy to recognize as one of his antlers was slightly crooked. After filling his bags, Shaylee said, "Here you go. Have a good day."

"I will. And you too." Picking up the two bags, Bentley turned and strode back to his silver SUV.

As Shaylee watched him go, a family of sheep stepped up and about cleaned them out of all their lettuce and turnips. As they gathered up their bags and left, Shaylee sighed, feeling glad there wasn't anyone else in line. Pulling the little envelope out of her pocket, she flipped it around again as she once again wondered about the red fox who had come all the way from the big city to find Judy and apologize (or so he claimed). Shaylee wondered what would make a city fox do that.

Still looking at the envelope, she couldn't figure out what would make a predator come all the way out here to apologize to the prey mammal who ruined the city for predators. And if predators from the city really were reverting to their savage past, didn't that mean the fox stood a chance of going savage, too? Shaylee frowned at this thought, but before she could think any more on it, she was interrupted out of her worrisome thoughts.

"Hey, Shaylee," her black and white sister, Mandy, said. "What's the frown for? And what's that in your paw?"

Shaylee glanced up and smiled. Holding the little envelope up with its message inside, she answered, "Hi, Mandy, this is a note for Judy."

"Oh?" Mandy asked as she reached for it. "Who's it from?" With a grin she guessed, "A secret admirer perhaps?"

Shaylee rolled her eyes. "Nope. It's from Nick Wilde. He said they met in Zootopia but then they had a falling out after her press conference. He's here to apologize to her and hopefully mend their friendship."

"Really!?" Mandy's ears immediately perked forward as she snatched the little envelope from her sister's paw so she could read the name on the front. _To Judy from Nick_, it read. With a bright smile, she exclaimed, "Oh, this is great! Judy is going to be so happy!" Her smile faltered, though, when she brought the envelope in for closer inspection. With her nose wrinkling in disgust, she asked, "_Why_ does this reek of _fox?"_

Shaylee was happy to hear Judy would be happy to see Nick, but then tilted her head slightly in confusion at her sister's odd question. "What do you mean: _why?_ Nick is a red fox. What else would it smell like?"

Mandy's ears dropped as did her jaw. "Wait!" She exclaimed while holding her paws up. "Back up." Taking a deep breath, she asked, "What do you mean _Nick_ is a _fox?_ Nick is a _hare._"

"Uh, _no,_ Nick is most definitely a _fox_. A tall, red fox with these vibrant green eyes and a shiny reddish-orange coat. I'm not sure if all city foxes are as good-looking as Nick, but it was obvious he had better breeding than Gideon." With a shrug, Shaylee added, "I didn't think she'd trust a red fox after Gideon clawed her, but I can definitely see his appeal to Judy. She always did get along better with predators than most rabbits."

Mandy simply shook her head in denial. "No, no, no. Nick is a hare. He has to be a hare. Otherwise Judy wouldn't be in . . ." Mandy trailed off as she just now realized that Judy never actually _said_ what species Nick was. Only that they couldn't be together because he wasn't a _rabbit_. "Oh, no, Judy, you didn't." With a groan, Mandy looked down at the little envelope in her paw that most _definitely_ reeked of fox musk. "Judy, how could you?" she muttered under her breath.

The town wasn't completely against inter-species relationships, with the larger prey mammals and predators being most receptive of relationships outside their species, but the majority of rabbits were still pretty insular in their thinking, with most still insisting on staying within their species when it came to love and romantic relationships. Even so, hares and rabbits were practically cousins, so more and more relationships between them were popping up (a far cry from how things were when she was a little kit). You could even find quite a few relationships between rabbits and pikas (distant cousins to rabbits and hares), with a handful of prairie dogs jumping on the bandwagon and dating rabbits, hares, and pikas, as well.

Mandy personally didn't understand the appeal of pikas and prairie dogs—pikas were too small and round (though fluffy) and prairie dogs were too chubby—and both species had such tiny ears, that they just looked funny to her. But that was beside the point—the _point_ being that there was _no way_ Judy had fallen for a _fox_. A chubby prairie dog would be preferable to an over-sized fox!

Leaning over the counter, Mandy dropped her elbows on the hard surface and then dropped her forehead into her paws as she lamented over her sister's bizarre mental state. How could she fall for a fox? A predator who used to eat their ancestors! It was ludicrous—and yet Mandy couldn't deny how Judy had been acting in regard to the sly vulpine.

_What did that fox do to make Judy fall for him!_ Mandy wondered. _Yes, he was there for her when no one else was, but still, how could Judy see him as anything more than a friend!?_ _A really good friend, yes, but still just a friend_. _He was a fox! Sharp claws and pointy teeth!_ Judy should be avoiding them (and him) with a passion—not passionately seeking after such dangerous weapons or _the fox _they _belonged _to!

"Um, Mandy?" Shaylee interrupted her sister's dismal musings. "Are you alright? And why would you think Nick was a hare? I never even heard Judy mention him before."

Mandy sighed with her face still in her palms. Sliding her paws up over her eyes, she then gripped her ears as she stared at the counter (and effectively scared off several potential customers—she looked like she might be sick). "I found Judy crying in her room a little over a week ago after Mom sent me to wake her up." Tugging on her ears in thought, she continued, "She was crying over Nick, a friend she met in Zootopia and helped her out a lot in finding all those missing mammals. But what she said at the press conference and how she acted towards him afterwards really hurt him and he stormed off and refused any contact with her. Judy is sure he hates her now as she keeps having these recurring dreams of him storming off and leaving her."

Looking at Mandy's depressed actions confused Shaylee further. So, Judy was friends with a fox? So what? She had a lot of predator friends, what was one more? Especially if this fox helped Judy out a lot while she was in the city. Scratching her head a moment in thought, she then said, "Okay, so Judy is feeling depressed about ruining her friendship with the fox. What's the problem? Nick doesn't hate Judy, I can attest to that. And since he came looking for her, he obviously wants to fix what they both broke." Resting her forearms on the booth, Shaylee leaned over it as she smiled brightly at Mandy while saying, "So, it's a good thing, right? They can both apologize for the words they said and Judy will be happy again. Life can finally get back to normal."

Mandy lifted her head and stared at her gray-furred sister. Keeping her voice low, she asked, "You don't get it, do you? Judy isn't just depressed because she lost a good friend—she was _heartbroken_ over losing _Nick_. She's smitten with him, but he thoughtlessly stole her heart and ran off with it."

Shaylee's soft brown eyes widened in shock, but after a moment she stammered, "Well . . . okay . . . that's . . . that's a new one." Taking a deep breath while thinking of Judy falling for a fox, she then said, "But if we're talking about Judy, I can't say I'm really surprised. She always did prefer the company of predators."

Mandy's jaw dropped a second time since showing up at her family's booth that day. "Shaylee, this isn't a joke."

"And I'm not joking. The fact Judy might have feelings for a predator makes complete sense." With a wave of her paw, Shaylee added, "This is _Judy_ we're talking about. She's the most un-rabbitish rabbit I've ever met."

Mandy scowled, then hissed under her breath, "We're talking about our sister wanting to—" She froze as she heard the crunch of shifting gravel. Glancing over her shoulder, she caught several customers inching forward as they were highly interested in the two sisters' heated argument. Turning her scowl on them, Mandy walked around the booth and grabbed Shaylee's arm, then hauled her over to her sunset-orange pickup truck.

"Hey, Mandy!" Shaylee protested on the way to the truck. "What are you doing?"

Ignoring the protests, Mandy opened the door and shoved her sister in before climbing in behind her. After situating herself in the seat next to her gray sister, Mandy's pink nose twitched as she stared pointedly at Shaylee. "Do you really want to start rumors about Judy wanting to date a fox?"

"Oh, right." With her black-tipped ears drooping as she shook her head, Shaylee added, "No, not really."

"Ahh!" Mandy cried in exasperation while grabbing her ears and pulling them down. "Shaylee, are you listening to yourself? You sound as if Judy dating a fox is the most natural thing in the world! He's a _fox_—a _predator!_ How can you be fine with that!?" She released her ears to throw her paws up in the air.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to date a fox, and I was a bit afraid of Nick when we first met, but that was only because he kinda snuck up on me." With a quick headshake, she continued, "But if we're talking about Judy, I can totally see her dating a predator." Holding up her paws, palms out, she wiggled her fingers and explained, "I can count on one paw the number of kithood friends she had who were prey." She waved just one paw. "But if I were to count how many predator friends she had—_and still does_—I'd need to use both hindpaws, too, to count them all." After pointing to her furry toes, she then raised an eyebrow and dared Mandy to refute her claim.

Mandy's scowl deepened. "Okay, say you're right about Judy. But can you say the same about Nick? He's a fox so what makes you think he'd look at a rabbit as anything more than a friend?"

Shaylee shrugged. "Who's to say he wouldn't? If Judy can see him in a romantic light, then why can't he see her in a similar light? He did seem pretty earnest about finding Judy. I don't see him driving all the way out here if he didn't feel _something_ for her."

"Oh, I don't know," Mandy said as she sat up straight and waved her white paws in the air. "He's a predator whose ancestors used to eat ours. If he saw her in any light, it should be to _eat_ her, not _mate_ with her!"

Shaylee had rolled her eyes at the _'eat her'_ part (it seemed like Mandy had been listening to Pop-Pop a bit too much lately), but at Mandy's mention of them possibly _mating_, her eyes grew large and her ears drooped. When supporting Judy's likely desire to date the sly todd, Shaylee hadn't thought ahead enough to see where it would lead. And Nick was quite a bit _bigger_ than Judy. But then again, Judy always did like a challenge.

Meeting her sister's upset gaze, Shaylee said, "But I still don't see what the problem is. Judy has been missing Nick and even dreaming about him, and he's now here in town looking for her. They can kiss and make up and both can get on with their lives." With a shrug, she added, "Problem solved."

Mandy's jaw dropped at her sister's completely blasé attitude about their older sister taking a fox as her mate. It was insane and completely unnatural. Rubbing her forehead, she stated, "No, the problem _isn't_ solved. That press conference Judy spoke at was the morning of her fourth day on the job, which meant she knew Nick at _most_ 3 days. There's no way she could be feeling anything more than an intense crush on him. But if she meets him now, then her feelings will deepen and there's no way she'll be able to get over him."

Shaylee's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would she need to get over him if he never leaves? I told you, he seemed really determined to make it up to Judy."

Mandy rolled her eyes. "Shaylee, the chances that Nick feels the same way is so slim, it's not even worth thinking about. And maybe he'll stick around for a time, but then he'll move on. They always do. He's a predator fleeing the city and once he gets bored or decides that he can make it better somewhere else, he'll leave her. It's not like there's a lot of jobs around here that a fox could get."

It was Shaylee's turn to roll her eyes. "Mandy, I don't think you're giving the fox enough credit. He's staying with Gideon, so I don't think he'll be going anywhere. And even if he did, that's just part of life. Judy's a big girl, she can handle it. And who knows, she might just follow him." With a shrug, Shaylee pointed out, "She already left once to chase her dream, so what would keep her here this time?"

Mandy felt like tearing her fur out. "How can you be fine with her chasing after a predator! That has to be the most unnatural thing in the world!" With a shake of disgust, Mandy added, "How could any doe want a predator to put his claws and teeth all over her? That's just asking for trouble!"

Ignoring Mandy's outburst, Shaylee settled back in the truck's dark-gray cushioned seat as she considered Mandy's words. Although she had never once considered a predator as a potential mate before, but after advocating for Judy she realized maybe her sister was onto something. She would have to wait and see how it went with Judy and Nick first.

Turning her attention back to her sister, Shaylee replied, "I don't know. If he used a light touch, it might actually feel pretty good." Tilting her head in thought, she then added, "I guess it all depends on the predator you're with."

Mandy's jaw dropped, her eyes widened, and her ears drooped, then she exclaimed, "Are you _serious_, Shaylee! Now _you_ want a predator mate, too?"

Shaylee's eyes widened as she just realized what she'd confessed to. Waving her paws out in front of her, she hurriedly said, "No, no, not me. We're talking about _Judy_ here. Judy's the one interested in a predator, and I'm just saying, from Judy's perspective, she would probably enjoy it." Turning her gaze out the side window of the truck to avoid her sister's death glare, Shaylee added, "I guess we'll find out soon enough, right. Once Judy hears Nick is in town, she'll race over there to find him." Still avoiding her sister's glare, she studied the little purple flowers that lined her family's fields. The flowers were such a beautiful shade of purple and had such a pretty shape, that Shaylee could hardly believe how well they kept the nasty bugs off their crops. She wanted to pick a bunch to put in her room, but her parents were adamant that the flowers were not to be picked as they were a class 3 botanical flower.

Mandy sat up and grabbed Shaylee's arm, startling her, then said, "No, no, no. We _cannot _let Judy know Nick is in town. That's a _really_ bad idea."

Shaylee's eyes widened again. "What!? _Why!?_ Judy needs to know Nick is looking for her."

Mandy shook her head. "No. If Nick leaves her a second time it'll utterly crush her."

"And if he stays, then what?" Waving a paw through the air, Shaylee said, "Judy must already know that her feelings might never be reciprocated, so I'm sure she's prepared for that. But if she can still find some happiness simply being his friend, then who are we to stand in her way? And who knows, Nick might actually feel the same way, in which case her dearest wish will come true. But whether he does or doesn't, it's up to Judy to decide if she still wants to be with him."

Mandy opened her mouth several times while trying to come up with a decent argument, but finally had to concede Shaylee's point. But that didn't mean she was willing to give up. She was positive that it would be in her sister's best interest if the fox packed up and went away. He came from the city, so who knows, he might just go savage himself one of these days and then where would Judy be?

Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Shaylee and said, "Fine, you're right. It is Judy's decision." Raising her finger to forestall her sister's relief, Mandy said, "But just give me one week. One week to prove whether or not Nick is worthy of Judy. We won't tell her about him right away and see whether he sticks around or not. If he stays, then I was wrong about him and you can tell Judy." At Shaylee's eager look, Mandy pointed her finger at Shaylee's chest and added, "But if _I'm_ right about him, then he'll be long gone before the week is up and Judy will never have to know he was ever here."

Shaylee sat back in her padded seat while quietly considering her sister's proposal. Although she didn't like the idea of hiding anything from Judy, she was curious to see just how committed Nick was to Judy and their relationship. Glancing out the front window to see a line of customers milling about, her ear twitched. Some were impatient to receive their goods while many more had an avid interest in the argument going on inside the truck.

Turning back to her sister, Shaylee said, "Okay. I'll keep quiet—_but only for a week_. If Nick hasn't left by Monday morning, then I am _personally_ taking Judy to meet him. Deal?" Sticking out her paw, Mandy eagerly gripped it.

"Thank you, Shaylee. I knew I could count on you." Mandy beamed at having averted disaster for their headstrong sister.

Shaylee shook her head. "Don't be thanking me just yet. I agreed to keep silent, but that's not to say all our siblings will. And you're forgetting that Judy might bump into him herself while she's in town. And you can't forget about all her predator friends I'm sure will be all too happy to tell her about the new fox in town should they bump into her first."

Mandy was quiet a moment, then said with a knowing grin, "You just leave our siblings to me. And if Judy never goes to town, then how is she supposed to meet anyone, hmm?"

Shaylee chuckled darkly. "Oh, and what would keep Judy from running into town? I admit she hasn't been going very often, but she still goes into town occasionally."

With a shrug, Mandy replied, "Oh, I'm sure we can come up with several different reasons to keep her at the burrow."

"Oh, no," Shaylee said while shaking her finger at her black and white sister. "I don't want to hear any of this _'we'_ crap. I agreed to keep silent—_that's it_. If you want to deceive our sister further, you'll have to do it without me. I am _not_ helping."

Mandy shrugged, not at all put out by Shaylee's lack of help. "Okay, fine. I won't ask. But remember your promise—you can't say a word to Judy."

Shaylee nodded. "I'll keep silent, but on Monday morning I'm telling Judy if Nick hasn't left yet." Mandy flicked her ear in agreement and then Shaylee added, "But you better not do anything mean to him in your effort to drive him away. If you hurt him in any way, I will not only tell Judy about him and what you did, but I'll also tell mom and dad."

Mandy's eyes widened at the sudden threat, but after a moment of thought, she agreed. "Deal. I won't harm a hair on his head or that bushy tail of his." All foxes had bushy tails, which was another reason why she found it hard to understand her sister's fascination with the sly vulpine—a small, petite tail was the only way to go.

"Good," Shaylee replied. "Then if you'll excuse me, my shift is over and you have a line of customers to attend to." With an evil grin and not an ounce of guilt for leaving her sister to deal with such a long line of impatient customers, Shaylee hopped out of the truck and skipped over to her pale, clover-green two-door jeep. Hopping in, she revved the engine, then took off down the paved country lane while leaving her sister staring at her taillights.

It still irritated her that Mandy was willing to leave Judy in the dark about Nick. If she really was heartbroken over losing the fox's friendship, then she needed to know that Nick _didn't_ hate her and that he came looking for her. Not telling her was hurting her worse.

Taking a deep breath, Shaylee tried to stamp down her irritation. She promised to keep quiet, but that didn't mean she had to quietly follow her sister's lead like some thoughtless sheep. She said she wouldn't talk to Judy, but she never said anything about not talking to Nick. If he was this interested in her sister (and vice versa), then Shaylee was going to find out everything she could about him. And if Mandy was going to insist on playing this dumb game, then she would play too—but on the opposing side. _She_ would join forces with the _fox_.

With a determined grin on her face, Shaylee passed the turnoff to her family's burrow and continued speeding towards town. _She_ had a fox to befriend—_starting right now_.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Here's some interesting facts:

**Model T** was introduced in 1908 by Henry Ford. Ford revolutionized how cars were built when he was building the Ford Model N which was introduced in 1906. Ford standardized the different car parts so that they were interchangeable between the different cars of the same model, which allowed Ford to produce a 100 Model N's a day. With his success with the Model N, Ford then moved on to the 4-cylender, 20-horsepower Model T, which was easier to drive and easier to repair. Its high chassis was built to get over the bumps on rural roads, and its vanadium steel made it a lighter, tougher car. With new methods of casting parts the price of his Model T was kept low as it was a car designed for American farmers and others of the middle-class, and so was made affordable to the middle-income working American. By the time the Model T was removed from production in 1927, over 15 million cars were sold.

**Servals** are a medium-sized wild cat of sub-Saharan countries of Africa. It has a golden coat and black spots, a small head in comparison to its body and has the longest legs of any feline compared to its body size. Although a close relative of the African golden cat and the caracal, it does not live in the rainforests. As a side note, it has been bred with the domestic house cat to form the hybrid Savannah cat, which has become quite popular in recent years. But if you're thinking of getting one, be careful as it can be quite a handful as a pet depending on how many of its wild serval traits it still retains.

**African Golden Cats** are a medium-sized wild cat living in the rainforests of central and west African. It has a golden cat with many of them having darker gold spots and rosettes covering most of its body. It's a close relative to both the caracal and the serval and is an extremely elusive cat so not much is known about it.

**Deerfly** are a common pest here in the south-western United States. They're about the size of a housefly, but are brown with a narrow body. They also bite which hurts. I changed the name to rheaflies since rheas are a common 'herd' animal in my story.

**Pikas **are distant cousins to rabbits and hares that live in the high mountains of North America and Eurasia. Living in colder climates, they have short limbs, a round body, a fluffy coat, short rounded ears, and no external tail. The long-eared pikas of the Himalayas are found 20,000 feet above sea level—one of the highest of any mammal.

Chapter 8: It's A Start, will post in 2 weeks. In it, both Nick and Judy will have an interesting conversation with some unexpected company.

If you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them. Have a great weekend and stay safe.


	8. Chapter 8: It's A Start

Nick was sitting at the table in the kitchen eating his failed attempt at a two-layered round cake. Although it tasted good (he did know how to follow a recipe), he had opened the oven too quickly and the cake had caved in a bit, so it wasn't flat like he wanted. And the frosting was a bit runny for some reason . . . and tasted more like powdered sugar and less like buttered frosting. Gideon had tried to encourage him by reminding him that it was just his first attempt. There was always tomorrow.

As it was, Gideon had given him the rest of the day off as he was only working part-time. Travis had suggested he see the sights of Bunnyburrow and get to know the town better. Nick couldn't refuse, especially since they both pointed out that he would have a greater chance of bumping into Judy if he was out and about—_provided_ she actually came to town.

And he dearly hoped that she did. After a lifetime of being ignored or step-on by mammals of all sizes, pred and prey alike, Nick didn't have a lot of faith that Judy's sister would give her his message. Regardless of how hopeful Gideon was about Shaylee passing his message on, Nick would get quite the shock if Judy actually called him tonight. No matter how badly he wanted to see her right now, Nick feared he would have to wait for the rodeo to finally meet her. He hoped and prayed he was wrong and that he'd get to talk to her today or tomorrow, but life had taught him from an early age to be cynical and not to get his hopes up—_about anything_.

Nick was just washing his plate off when Travis walked through the kitchen door. He needed to grab more napkins to replace the ones used out on several of the tables. Turning around, Nick nodded to his new ferret friend, even as Travis grabbed the napkins from the storage room.

As he came back through the kitchen, Travis looked Nick over and took notice that the clothes the fox changed into after his shower were just as nice as the ones he'd been wearing earlier that day. Meeting Nick's dark green eyes, he made a suggestion. "You know, Nick," Travis began, "if you're going to be working in the kitchen, you might want to get some clothes you don't mind getting messy. Those are some pretty fancy shirts you got there and they ain't really meant to be worn when cooking." As Nick glanced over himself, Travis added, "I'd suggest getting some t-shirts or something."

Nick glanced down at the cowboy outfit he'd put on after his flour fiasco of a few hours ago. There were a few flour pawprints on this outfit from the cake he had made (and had just sampled) even though he had been wearing one of Gideon's pink aprons (he finally agreed to put one on after his last mess). But what if they had been making colored frosting instead white frosting and he'd gotten food coloring down the front of him? Or he got some kind of red or blue fruit juice on his clothes while helping Gideon with the fruit pastries this morning? Red and blue juices stained badly.

He had originally bought these clothes to impress Judy and her family—_not_ to bake in. And after the flour mess earlier along with his fears of staining his clothes, Travis's suggestion of getting different clothes was a smart idea. Meeting Travis's helpful gaze, he replied, "Thanks, Travis, I'll do that."

Travis nodded with an appreciative smile. With his theft record and time in Juvie at the end of his second year of high school, not many mammals were willing to take his advice. It didn't help matters that after graduating high school, he had a serious lack of direction in his life. Coming from an alcoholic home with his dad constantly yelling at him that he would never amount to anything—_that he was born a loser and would die a loser_—Travis had never given his future a single thought.

And with no one to show him how to live his life differently, he had continued bullying some of the smaller mammals and kits in town. This added to the town's mistrust and dislike of him. But then Tiffany came into his life and she not only gave him a reason to change, but she showed him _how_ to change. And then with Gideon moving back to town and offering him a job, he'd finally found the direction he'd been searching for.

So Nick's acceptance of him, along with the fox's willingness to listen to his advice and treat him as an equal, put a smile on Travis's face, even as he carried the napkins he'd come for back to the storefront of the bakery.

Putting his dish in the drainer, Nick walked over to the backdoor and grabbed his black Stetson from its hook on the wall and plopped it on his head as he walked out the door.

….….

Shaylee drove into town and then turned off on the side street where Gideon's Bakery was located. Seeing an open parking spot across the street from the bakery, she parked her jeep and looked down the road to make sure it was clear before jumping out. Looking back the other way, she saw a familiar fluffy tail and black Stetson disappearing into one of the clothing stores down the street.

With a grin, she hopped out of the jeep and skipped down the street. Shaylee wondered what Nick would be doing back in the clothing store. His clothes this morning looked pretty new and with him coming from the city, she assumed he'd bought them when he arrived, so she couldn't see why he'd need more clothes. As her grin widened, Shaylee thought, _One way to find out_.

Reaching Big Al's clothing store, she grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, then hopped inside. Looking around, she wondered where Judy's fox might be. Was he perhaps in here looking for something else to impress Judy? Not that he needed anything to impress her to begin with. The fact he traveled all the way out here just to make amends certainly impressed Shaylee, and made her wish she had a male who was willing to travel such a distance just to make it up to her.

While remembering how well Nick filled out his cowboy outfit he'd been wearing this morning, Shaylee wondered if he was planning to buy another outfit or if he'd come in for some country boy accessories. His black Stetson could definitely use a cooler looking hat band than the plain old silver one it came with. And she didn't know what Nick normally wore, seeing as he was a city fox and all, but with the outfit he was wearing this morning, Shaylee knew Judy was in for some sweet eye-candy once she saw Nick decked out in his cowboy best.

Wandering over to the fox section, a wide smile flashed across Shaylee's face as she spotted her target. With a happy twitch in her tail, she skipped lightly over to the oblivious fox.

….….

Nick had gone straight to the t-shirt section and started browsing. He found a few solid colored ones that would work at the bakery, and then moved on until he found the t-shirt section with pictures and logos on them. Some of them were just too dumb to consider and he wondered who would buy them. For instance, there was one that said:_ I have gas and I'm not afraid to use it_. It was really dumb, but then again, he did know this Scottish highland bull that could definitely use it. His name was Jerry and he was always passing gas—the silent but deadly kind.

Still browsing, Nick found several with cool sayings. One said: _Don't flatter yourself. I only look up to you because I'm short_. This one had him snorting as it would be perfect to wear once he got back to the city . . . or wherever he went that had larger mammals towering over him. He also thought of grabbing a smaller one for Finnick but then figured he would probably be murdered the moment he showed it to the small fox with a Napoleon complex.

Another one said: _bad decisions make the best stories._ Nick shook his head at this one, thinking,_ Ain't that the truth? _Of course, the stories were only funny when you were telling them about someone else or you were old with grey in your muzzle and were telling the stories to your grandkits. And speaking about the truth, here was one that said: _The truth will set you FREE but first, it will __**piss**__ you off._ This one had Nick snickering while thinking how true it was. He almost bought it, but figured someone might decide to beat him up over it. A lot of mammals back in the city would take offense (a few violently) if they saw a fox wearing a shirt like this as society considered foxes to be sly, untrustworthy creatures.

Walking down the aisle, Nick found a shirt with a picture of a cassowary on it that said: _Don't mess with me_. Next to it was another shirt with a cassowary on it, but this one was saddled, and the saying went: **_Courage _**_is being scared to death—and __**Saddling**__ up anyway!_ Nick liked it, but then he saw one with a picture of a dodo, a rhea, and an emu standing together and said: _Home is where my bird is_. Thinking of Judy and picturing how she would look riding a bird, he picked it up and put it in his basket. The next shirt he saw had a cowboy on it spinning a lasso above his head that said: _If it doesn't involve Ropin, Ridin, or Saddles count me out_. This brought a smile to Nick's face as he thought of the rodeo starting this Friday. He really hoped he could see it with Judy.

He picked up the next shirt and immediately thought of Judy. It was a picture of a ram riding one of the larger emus in a rodeo. The shirt said_: What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us_. Taking a deep breath, Nick immediately thought of his and Judy's ride on the gondola as she told him, _"Nick, you are so much __**more**__ than that._" At that time, Judy wasn't looking at his past or where the future would lead, but what was always inside him—_who_ he truly was. And then seeing Judy's hopeful smile when she asked him to be her partner at the ZPD reminded him just how badly he messed up with Judy back at the press conference, as well as how much he had to make up for.

Carefully setting the shirt in his basket, Nick's ears flicked back as he heard a smaller mammal skipping lightly behind him . . . was it a kit? Being a fox, he assumed the mammal would pass him by—so he about jumped out of his skin when the mammal popped up beside him with a bright smile and cheerful voice, saying, "Hi, handsome."

Jumping backwards, Nick barely stopped himself from crashing into one of the t-shirt displays behind him. With a paw over his pounding heart, he focused his shocked, green eyes on the gray bunny in front of him and said in surprise, "_Shaylee!?_ What are doing here?" With a deep breath, he added, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Shaylee tilted her head sideways a moment, then stepped back as her ears perked forward. With a teasing voice, she asked, "A bit jumpy, are we?"

Nick's ears flicked back as he folded his arms across his chest, then glared at the gray ball of fluff that looked so much like Judy, but at the same time, she didn't. Her brown eyes were the wrong color and she lacked Judy's white muzzle and neck. Focusing his attention back on Shaylee (and wishing it were her older sister instead), Nick answered, "Well, if you were a fox and someone snuck up on you, you'd jump, too."

With her ears still perked forward and her nose twitching slightly in curiosity, she asked, "Really? Why?"

Nick rolled his eyes and looked off towards the left. He had opened up to Gideon yesterday, but he wasn't sure he wanted to open up to Judy's sister. Then again, she was his link to Judy, and she wasn't calling him derogatory names or trying to run him out of town. And if he shared a little bit of his painful past with her, maybe she would be more receptive to help him reconnect with Judy.

Taking a deep breath, Nick turned back to Shaylee who was still looking at him with avid curiosity. With another deep breath, he finally said, "Foxes are usually targeted for gang bullying or beatings." With a sour face and downturned ears, Nick continued, "It took a long time for me to figure out which of the vast number of streets were safe to walk down and which ones would leave me a whimpering mess on the sidewalk. I also had to learn to recognize that look in a mammal's eyes that said he was going to have fun at my bloody expense."

Shaylee's ears thumped lightly against her back as they drooped and her nose started twitching a little faster. "Oh," she whispered. Tilting her head slightly, she tried to find a plausible reason for such repeated beatings but came up blank. They had bullying here in Bunnyburrow, but it rarely led to more than harsh words, being pushed around, and a few bruises (not that she was ever part of bullying or one of its victims). The worst she knew of was when Gideon clawed Judy when they were kits (Gideon was several years older than Shaylee, so she was never picked on by him or Travis). When Shaylee couldn't think of anything, she finally asked, "What was their reason?"

Nick threw his paws up in the air as his tail-tip twitched angrily at the memory. "Because I was born! Because society says we foxes are shifty lowlifes! Because I was there and they could!" Seeing Shaylee take a step back as her nose started twitching faster, Nick slapped a paw over his muzzle and took a step back himself. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "Sorry. That question brings up a lot of bad memories for me." He forced his tail fur to lay back down after it puffed up in agitation.

Shaylee studied Nick while her nose slowed down its twitching, though it didn't fully quit its rapid movement. It was obvious that the red fox in front of her had some very bad things happen to him in the past and it made her realize how badly she misjudged him when they met earlier this morning.

When she first saw him, her initial response was to not trust him, but she now realized that it was she (and most other mammals) who were the ones not to be trusted. Not that she would ever do anything like that to a fox, but she remembered quite clearly during her middle and high school years of a couple of the foxes and ferrets in town, along with some of the rabbits and prairie dogs who came from the poorer families in the area, who were picked on and bullied. She never liked it, and stopped it when she saw it, but she wasn't always around.

Nick rubbed a paw over his face, then looked over at Judy's sister. "Why are you here, anyways?" Lightly waving his paw through the air, he added, "Not to be rude or anything, but I thought you were tending your family's vegetable stand."

Shaylee clasped her paws behind her back and gave a slight shrug. "My shift's over, so I came looking for you." With wide, bright eyes that most mammals found cute, and therefore irresistible, she gave Nick a hopeful smile.

Nick raised his eyebrow while hiding how hard he was struggling to resist her 'cute charm'. Remembering how Judy repeatedly told him not to call her cute, he had to bite his tongue to keep from making any cutesy comment about Shaylee. Taking a deep breath, he slowly asked, "Why?"

Shaylee glanced around the store and caught sight of a few more customers, then turned back to Nick. "Are you about done shopping? I figured we could go get an ice cream cone and take a walk down to the park."

Nick opened his mouth to press for more information, but then snapped it shut again. He had noticed how Shaylee was sizing up the other mammals in the store, which told him that whatever she wanted to talk about was best done in private. Taking a deep breath, he nodded, saying, "Yeah, I'm about done." Turning back to the shirt rack, he grabbed a shirt with a dwarf emu sprinting through a field with its bright, white feathery mane on full display. After putting it in his basket, he also grabbed a dark green shirt that said, _'I used to be a mammal person, then mammals ruined it_.' Adding it to the rest of the shirts, he turned towards the checkout counter while being hyper aware of the gray rabbit following behind him.

He had the checkout counter in sight when he realized he still needed his country-tie equivalent. Stopping in the middle of the isle, Nick turned to Shaylee (who was looking at him curiously) and asked, "Do they have something around here that's equivalent to a tie? I'm used to wearing a tie, but none of my ties really go with any of my new outfits."

Shaylee grinned, then spun around and waved for Nick to follow her, saying, "Come, my confused fox." With her tail twitching happily to be able to help Judy's friend in his _dire_ circumstance, Shaylee led him back towards the cowboy hats where she then presented him with the answer to his dilemma. Waving her paws out like she was showcasing a prize on the Price is Right (or one of the other game shows), she then said, "What you are seeking, my tall friend, is a bolo tie. They're very stylish and fit in with country life décor."

With a wide grin, she then turned towards the rack with all the ties hanging from it and reached over and grabbed a black one with a medium-dark amethyst gemstone set into the small silver buckle that held the two braided-leather sides of the bolo tie together. "This is perfect," she muttered to herself. Turning back to the curious fox behind her, she motioned for him to bend down so she could slip it around his neck.

Nick took his black hat off as he bent down to receive the bolo tie, then slipped the hat back atop his head as he stood up. Straightening the bolo tie around his neck and sliding the buckle a little higher up on the tie, he then raised his eyebrow again when he noticed the stone's color she picked out. It was the exact shade of purple as Judy's eyes. "Is there a reason you picked this one?"

Shaylee merely grinned again with her eyes widening in a killer cute expression that only rabbits could do. "It'll impress Judy." Tilting her head slightly and twitching her nose slowly, she added, "You _do_ want to impress my sister, _right?"_

Nick's jaw dropped, then he snapped it shut, and looked off towards the left while straightening the tie a little tighter. "Yes. What about it?" Why was Judy's sister wanting to know if he was trying to impress her? Shaylee didn't seem too fond of him earlier, so why was she so eager to get close to him now? And what was with her question about him wanting to impress Judy? Whatever her reservations were before about him seeing Judy, she seemed to have gotten over them. Did that mean she would help him meet Judy? But then why was she here and not on her way home to deliver his message? Seeing Shaylee's eager, teasing smile, he asked, "Will this really impress Judy?"

Shaylee giggled (which brought a questioning gaze from Nick), then said, "Yes, and it's a start." If Nick was wanting to impress her sister, then there was definitely a chance for Judy to steal his heart. After so many years being alone, her sister deserved a male who thought highly of her, enjoyed spending time with her, and would travel over 300 miles just to find her. A male like Nick didn't come around very often. She just needed to lay the groundwork for Judy and get the fox thinking in that direction.

With perked ears and a raised eyebrow, Nick flicked his tail-tip as he asked, "A start for what?"

Ignoring his question, Shaylee spun around and headed back towards the checkout counter, saying, "Come on, let's get your things bought so we can get some ice cream. A walk in the park will do us both good." With a flick of her gray tail, she added, "There's this table under one of the trees that's just perfect for sitting and chatting."

Nick tilted his head slightly in confusion, but then shook his head and followed after the confusing rabbit. Her sudden change in demeanor from this morning had set off little warning bells inside his head—not that she was planning something nefarious against him, but it left him unsettled. He didn't like being left in the dark, especially since she didn't want to talk where anyone could overhear them. This wasn't looking good for him getting a hold of Judy any time soon—even if Shaylee _was_ being helpful and friendly to him right now.

….….

Judy rode down one dusty road and then another while trying to track down Patty-Mae. At a couple of the junctions she had to stop and go back over the directions George had given her in order to choose the right turnoff. Her only consolation for traipsing all over the countryside was that the weather was nice and the scenery was beautiful.

She passed by several fields full of grass for grazing the birds or were full of alfalfa for cutting and sending to one of the alfalfa pellet companies for bird feed, along with several large orchards of various fruits. She also passed by furrowed fields full of food crops, with her favorite being the vast fields of sunflowers. Sunflower seeds and sunflower oil were some of Bunnyburrow's biggest exports. And the flowers certainly lived up to their name as their bright yellow and brown heads tracked the sun on its trek across the sky.

Occasionally a car or truck would pass by and Judy would have to ride down into the ditch beside the road until they passed, but she didn't mind. Emus were very agile and sure-footed birds, so riding down the slight embankment and back up didn't pose any problems for the smooth-gated Pebbles.

Following the road as it wound its way through a wooded area that hadn't been chopped down and ploughed into any fields yet, Judy enjoyed the cooler shadows of the trees. The ride became even more enjoyable as she listened to the various songbirds singing brightly as they flitted through the branches of the various trees. There were even some woodpeckers she heard hammering away at some of the trunks in their search for a tasty treat crawling within. Eventually she caught sight of a red-hooded woodpecker with its bright red head and black and white body.

As she continued riding through the woods, Judy caught sight of several white-throated swallows flying through the trees, then two black and yellowish-orange orioles having a noisy dispute over something. With a smile at the noisy birds, Judy continued on as she hummed a nameless little tune. After a while of humming and listening to the various bird songs, she eventually caught sight of the large pileated woodpecker that grew to a whopping 18 inches tall. That was half as tall as she was! Watching the large black-bodied bird with its red-crested head, Judy was impressed with its ability to hammer a small hole in the thick bark and pull out a wriggly bug for its dinner. Talk about using your head to get a meal!

With a smile on her face, Judy road out of the woods and found the large gate built of thick logs with the Lazy L Ranch sign hanging at the top. _Finally!_ She was beginning to think she would never find it!

Riding down the long drive, Judy came upon the large, four-story farmhouse that sprawled across the yard (jackrabbits, like all hares, didn't burrow but built their homes above ground). Off to the left was a large, red barn and a corral where several jackrabbits were out working with some rheas and dodos. It looked like they might be practicing for the upcoming rodeo as the three bucks riding the rheas were practicing barrel racing while several of the younger jackrabbits were washing and polishing their dodos to a shine before decking them out in fancy saddles and bridles for the dressage competition. They had to make sure the dodos looked just right before the big day came, especially since each of the young jackrabbits were hoping to bring home a blue ribbon.

Watching them brought a light smile to Judy's mouth as she recalled the happy memories of her own time practicing for the rodeo when she was in middle school and high school. Although she loved working with the birds, once she got started on her studies or some school project, she became super focused and then someone would have to drag her away from the books and remind her there was more to life than what was on the papers she'd been staring at for hours. It's a good thing she had such a large family, since there was always someone around to pull her back into life.

Usually it was one of her sisters pulling her out to go shopping or out to eat, while her brothers were the ones pulling her out to work with the birds or go running or hiking. She always complained at first, but would then feel grateful once she got out of the house and got some fresh air. And of course, her younger siblings (and later, her nieces and nephews) were there to pull her into a kit's movie or building a pillow and blanket fort and acting out one of their favorite storybooks or some show they'd watched on tv.

Looking back now, she hadn't realized before how good she had it. Her smile slipped as she compared her past with her present. She really didn't have anything to show for all her hard work. Nothing positive, anyway. With Zootopia tearing itself apart as the prey population turned on the predator population as more and more predators went savage, and with Nick still missing she felt like a complete failure compared to her glorious dreams she had while growing up.

Feeling her eyes start to sting as her depression started weighing on her again, she brushed an arm across her eyes and reminded herself that she was here to find Patty-Mae so she could buy an emu and start working towards her goal of finding Nick again. She couldn't save the city, but she could at least save her friendship with Nick . . . if she could just find him.

"Hey, can we help you?" a tan buck with black ears and paws asked as he rode his rhea over towards the gray doe who had ridden up to the barn.

"Uh, yeah," Judy hastily said as she pulled her focus back to the jackrabbits in front of her. "I'm looking for Patty-Mae." Taking a deep breath while pushing her melancholy feelings back down, she added, "Is she around?"

"Sure," the buck said as he stopped his rhea just inside the corral's open gate. Turning around in the saddle, he called to one of the younger jackrabbits brushing down his dodo. "Hey, Alec, go get Patty, will you?"

"Okay, Dad," the 11 year-old, brindled tan and black jackrabbit said happily. He was tired of grooming his dodo and was waiting for an excuse to ride it. Since it was already saddled, he hopped on and turned the bird around, then rode off towards one of the fields behind the house.

"Judy? Judy Hopps?" another tan buck, with black down his muzzle and between his eyes, asked as he rode past his brother and through the corral gate where they'd been practicing their barrel racing.

Meeting his light brown eyes, Judy answered, "Yes, that's me."

Stopping his rhea in front of the Judy, the buck laughed and tipped his light gray cowboy hat at her as he said, "It's me, Ryan. I was in your history class all through high school."

Judy looked the buck over, then grinned. "Yeah! _Ryan!_ I remember you. Didn't we also share English and math class together during 11th and 12th grade?"

Ryan gave a slight nod, then added, "And computer class and gym during 10th grade."

"Right," Judy replied while pointing at him. "You didn't have a lot of coordination in gym class, did you?"

Ryan's ears drooped a bit as he answered, "Yeah, I was pretty klutzy back then." With a grin, he added, "But you were always right on spot and never missed a step or a ball."

Judy gave him a strained smile while remembering all the balls he fumbled when the gym teacher split the class into teams to play basketball or the times he crashed into his teammates (including herself) when they had to play volleyball.

Seeing Judy's expression, Ryan waved his paws out in front of him and hurriedly said, "But I've grown out of that klutzy stage. I'm really good at basketball now and I'm more aware of my surroundings so no more crashing into mammals."

Judy's ears perked up a bit. "Oh? Well, I'm glad to hear that."

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, I always admired that about you. You were so agile and could easily adapt to whatever the teacher asked us to do. I worked really hard during the summer to improve my coordination so I wouldn't bring the team down if we ever got to play on a team again."

Judy nodded, then pointed out, "But we only shared gym class that one year."

Ryan nodded again, but then his brother (Alec's dad) rode up and slapped him on the back. With a smirk, he said, "Ryan, here," and he jabbed his brother in the ribs, "did a lot more than just admire you back in high school."

Judy's ears perked forward, "What do you mean?"

_"__Jeremy!"_ Ryan hissed at his brother while obviously trying to shush him with his paws.

"What!?" Jeremy exclaimed while pushing his brother's paw out of his face. "It's been over a decade! What's it going to hurt if she knows now?"

"Knows what?" Judy asked curiously, with her nose twitching lightly and her long ears perked forward.

Ryan looked off towards the barn as Jeremy said, "Ryan here," he slapped his brother on the back again, "had a huge crush on you in high school. He just never had the guts to tell you or ask you out."

Judy's eyes widened then her ears dropped to her back with a soft thud. "Oh," was the only response she could come up with. Back in high school, she didn't think anyone was serious about her or was interested in dating a doe who dreamed of being a big city cop. Most of her peers teased her about it. Her friends didn't, but none of them saw her as dating material. At least, no one ever asked her out. Her sisters set her up on a bunch of blind dates, but they never amounted to anything.

None of them were her type. They either dismissed her dreams or went on and on about themselves and how they could 'take care of her'. In their opinion, what doe needed to have such a scary job in the big city when she could be home barefoot in the kitchen and chasing a horde of little ones around the warren? . . . Well, they weren't all that bad, and some of them were actually nice, but they just never appealed to her. Her sisters, mom, and several aunts all complained her standards were too high and that she would never find a male that met all her requirements. Well, they were wrong. She found her male, now if she could just convince him to give her a chance.

But right now, hearing that Ryan had a crush on her back in high school left her mentally reeling. How did she respond to something like that? He didn't still have a crush on her, did he? She hoped not. If he had fessed up to her back in high school, she probably would have given him a chance. He was the quiet type, a bit shy, but nice enough and she enjoyed talking to him (the few times they actually had a conversation). But that was a _long _time ago. So much had happened since then, and now she had Nick. Although they weren't together and she wasn't sure they ever would or could be, that wasn't going to stop her from pursuing him. And, well, after having her heart stolen by a fox—how could a buck compare?

Turning back to Judy after hearing her response, Ryan's ears drooped further to see her dumbstruck expression. It was obvious dating him had never crossed her mind.

"You know, Judy," Jeremy continued while completely ignoring the uneasy feeling that had settled over the two other mammals with him, "if you're _single_, I _highly_ recommend dating my brother. He's a vast improvement from the gangly youth you knew in high school."

_"__Jeremy!"_ Ryan cried as he shoved his brother and nearly knocked him out of the saddle.

"What!?" Jeremy cried again. "You liked her then, so what's the problem now? You're both single and much more mature than you were in high school, so why not give it a try?"

Shoving his brother again and forcing him to move his rhea out of arms reach, Ryan exclaimed, "Yeah, but you don't just come out and say that!" Waving his paws in the air as his nose twitched like crazy while fearing Judy's response (he never did get over his crush on her), he added, "We just met again! This is the first time I've even spoken to her since high school!"

There was a chuckle behind them and both Jeremy and Ryan looked over to see their other brother, Jarod, riding towards them from where he had been standing near the barrels they had been using to practice with. "Come on, Ryan, mammal up. You have to grab life by the saddle horn and take off running." Waving his free paw through the air (his other paw was holding his rhea's reins), he added, "A full-on sprint with no looking back." Stopping his rhea next to Ryan, Jarod clapped his brother on the back and pulled Ryan's head closer to his own as he leaned in next to his brother. Waving his other paw towards Judy, he continued, "The doe of your dreams is standing right here in front of you and now is your chance to declare your undying love to her."

Ryan's face and ears turned beet-red and he hastily pulled out of his brother's annoying embrace. Slugging his brother in the arm, he said, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Jarod and Jeremy both snickered at their now highly embarrassed younger brother. Poking Ryan in the ribs again, Jeremy said, "You didn't have the guts to ask her out in high school, but life has given you a second chance." Poking him a third time as Ryan tried to ward him off, Jeremy added, "Are you going to let this chance slip through your fingers?"

Trying to push his brother out of the saddle again, Ryan was rewarded with a death glare and a hiss from Jeremy's rhea as it stepped sideways to keep its rider balanced atop its back. Ignoring the irritated bird, Ryan threw his paws up in the air and said, "Judy didn't ride all the way out here just to date me." Motioning towards Judy with both paws, he added, "You don't even know if she _is_ single!"

As Ryan made his point, both Jeremy and Jarod looked over at Judy. Ignoring her own embarrassed and awkward look, Jarod asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Um, well, you see," Judy started while fiddling with Pebble's reins. With her ears a dark shade of pink and drooping down her back, she stammered out, "It's . . . it's complicated." Why did they have to ask this question of all questions? She was still trying to get used to the idea that she had fallen for a fox and didn't want anyone harassing her for it.

"See!" Ryan exclaimed nervously. He had been too shy in high school to ask her out and now his brothers were ruining everything now. Judy would probably never even talk to him again. "She's in a complicated relationship."

Jarod and Jeremy both glanced at each other, then nodded. Looking back at Judy, Jarod asked again, "Are in a relationship with anyone? A simple yes or no will do."

Judy's ears were flush against her back and her nose was twitching slightly. "Well, no," she finally answered, but then added, "But there is someone I'm highly interested in." At Jarod's raised eyebrow, she hurriedly said, "But he's in Zootopia, so it's a bit complicated."

Jarod and Jeremy immediately grinned, then turned their rheas around to block Judy as they both faced their brother Ryan. Leaning closer to him, Jeremy said in hushed whisper, "Okay, little brother, now's your chance. She's not in a relationship yet, so you still have a chance."

Ryan's jaw dropped, but Jarod ignored it as he picked up where Jeremy left off. "That's right. If this other male is stupid enough to let Judy slip away from him, then it's his loss and your gain. You," he jabbed Ryan in the shoulder, "just have to prove to her that you're the better choice."

Listening from the back of her emu, Judy slapped a paw over her face and shook her head. Did they really think she couldn't hear them? Ryan _was_ a nice buck—one of the good ones she had been sure would be married by now. Unfortunately, though, she was no longer interested in a buck. He had waited too long and that ship had already sailed. What she wanted now was Nick—_her_ _fox_. _Just_ her fox.

While wondering how to escape the boys (she was sure Ryan felt like dying from embarrassment about now), they were both saved by the arrival of Patty-Mae who was a cream-colored doe with tan and black markings on her face and ears, then down her back and ending with a black tail.

Judy immediately noticed that she was riding an island emu, but it was a bit bigger than her own, making Judy wonder if Patty-Mae was breeding them to be a bit bigger than the average island emu.

"What are you two numbskulls plotting now?" Patty-Mae asked while staring at the three bucks. It was obvious Ryan wasn't enjoying whatever Jeremy and Jarod were plotting. His ears were beet-red and drooping, and he was constantly trying to shush them.

"We are trying to save our brother from a lifetime of loneliness," Jarod proudly declared as he sat up and turned his rhea around to face their sister.

"Jarod, shut up," Ryan hissed at him to which Jarod completely ignored him. Lifting his fist, Ryan took a swing at his brother, but Jarod had anticipated the punch and moved his rhea sideways out of harm's way—which nearly sent Ryan head first out of the saddle when his swing hit nothing be air. Grabbing the saddle horn with his other paw, he gracelessly kept himself from falling. That would have been the worse. He would have died of embarrassment if he'd fallen from the saddle in front of Judy, especially after boasting about outgrowing his high school klutziness.

Patty-Mae rolled her amber eyes and turned to the rabbit doe sitting astride an unfamiliar brown emu. Meeting the does' awkward, amethyst gaze, she did a double take as she recognized her, but never expected to see such a famous rabbit here at her family's ranch. "Judy? Judy Hopps? What are you doing here?"

Judy's ears perked up and she said, "Yes, it's me." Giving a little wave of greeting, she explained, "I heard you had some emus for sale. I'm interested in possibly buying one."

"Oh," Patty-Mae said in surprise. Seeing Judy here was a shock. Hearing she wanted to buy one of her emus was even more of a shock. Judy's family already had a good flock of emus, so why would Judy be looking to buy another one?

Meeting Judy's expectant gaze, Pattie-Mae remembered how excited her family had been—and terrified at the same time—when Judy had first left for the city. But she made a name for herself in a terribly negative way with her speech about predators reverting back to their ancestral, savage ways. Patty-Mae then remembered seeing Judy on the news trying to break up protests and riots between angry predators and terrified (and angry) prey, which sent her to the hospital at one point after getting punched in the head by an angry moose who didn't care that she was standing between him and the red wolf he was after.

That whole incident sent her poor parents into a panic attack. Bonnie and Stu hopped on the first train to Zootopia and spent several days at the hospital with Judy. Although her head injury didn't appear serious, the doctors wanted to keep her for observation. Due to a rabbit's smaller size, they wanted to insure she didn't have a concussion or develop swelling in her brain. After three days they discharged her with a clean bill of health, but that didn't stop her parents from trying to convince her to come home. Their pleas fell on deaf ears and they returned dejected and worried sick that the savage city would eat her alive (literally). But then a month and a half ago, Judy returned home but then spent most of her time at her burrow.

Patty-Mae had even heard whisperings that Judy was suffering from depression, which further worried her parents. For Bonnie, there was only one way to overcome depression and the whole town knew how she was trying to marry Judy off so she would settle down and start popping out kits. In Bonnie's opinion—_who had time for depression when you had a bunch of tiny kits to care for? _

Patty-Mae felt sorry for Judy. Although Bonnie might find having a hundred kits or more as the perfect anti-depressant, it was obvious to Patty-Mae that Judy would find it even more depressing. She was such a driven, independent, determined dreamer who took relationships very seriously. Patty-Mae understood this from Judy's lack of dating experience. Since Judy wasn't shy, nor did she have a timid bone in her body, her lack of experience wasn't due to shyness. Judy simply didn't want to date someone she didn't respect and who didn't respect her back. Patty-Mae was the same way, which is why her current boyfriend, Joey, was her first and only boyfriend (she hoped Joey would propose soon as they'd been dating for several months now).

Feeling a kinship with Judy in the dating department (she'd had her fair share of failed dates just as Judy had), Patty-Mae found it extremely sad to hear how Bonnie was trying to, _essentially,_ sell her daughter off in a vain attempt to get Judy over her depression. Marrying Judy off to the first buck who would take her could never bring Judy happiness. She needed someone she could lean on, someone who understood her, and who she respected. But along with that, Judy also needed someone she was crazy about, who she couldn't wait to see, and who made everything look and feel better—no matter how bad or crazy the world got. Just like how Patty-Mae felt about Joey. Although Joey's family wasn't the richest in town, being with Joey made everything seem right, no matter how her day went—good or bad.

Then again, if Judy could give her brother Ryan a chance, she might just find that somebody that makes her smile just thinking about him. Judy knew Ryan from high school and he already felt immense respect for Judy (Patty-Mae knew Ryan was fond of Judy back in high school), so that part was taken care of. Now all they needed was time to get to know each other all over again. To have a fresh start. The key here was _time_. Time that Bonnie wasn't willing to give Judy. After such a huge setback with her life-long dream crashing down around her, Judy needed time to work through her failure—not jump into a lifelong career of raising kits!

What Judy needed now was a good friend to lean on, and if that friend was her brother Ryan, that might be the foundation they needed to move on to something more. Patty-Mae's mother always told her and her siblings that their mate should be their best friend, and if they were, then they could be sure to have a healthy, lasting relationship.

But seeing Judy now, Patty-Mae thought Judy might have walked through her depression on her own as she looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this afternoon. This made Patty-Mae wonder what had changed for the gray rabbit who had ridden all the way out to find her—for an emu, no less. Finally answering Judy's question about having emus for sale, she said, "Uh, yeah." With a slight shake of her head, Patty-Mae said, "Yeah, I have some ready for sale. But we'll have to go to my boyfriend's house to look at them."

Judy's ears dropped. "Your boyfriend's house?"

Patty-Mae nodded. "Yeah, that's where I'm training them so none of my dumb brothers"—she looked pointedly at Jarod and Jeremy—"don't teach them any stupid tricks I'll have to break them of before I can sell them."

Jarod put his paws up as he said, "Hey, we were teaching them to jump so we could hold a jumping competition. It's not our fault they decided to jump the fence that night."

Patty-Mae rolled her amber eyes again (it took them 2 days to round up the five emus who had made a jump for freedom). This happened over a year ago and involved their family emus (they were stronger jumpers than rheas), so when she decided to raise and train her own emus to sell, Patty-Mae knew she couldn't have them here at the ranch or her brothers would try teaching them stupid 'tricks' that would lower their selling-value. With a shake of her head at her unreliable brothers (Ryan was dependable enough), she turned her attention back to Judy.

"Your boyfriend's dad is George Hoppersan, correct?" Judy asked while feeling like smacking her head against the side of the barn.

"Yeah. How did you know?" Patty-Mae asked curiously.

Judy face-palmed. "I was just there. George said he didn't have any emus and that I had to talk you."

"Well, yeah, the birds are mine, so you would definitely have to talk to me first."

Judy rubbed her forehead, saying, "Yes, I understand that. But couldn't he have just called you and let you know I was there?"

Patty-Mae shrugged her shoulders. "If it was anyone else you talked to, they probably would have called. But George doesn't like using phones. Says it's too impersonal and the new cell phones just confuse him. Says he feels like he's going to break 'carrot-picking' things."

Judy's shoulders drooped along with her ears. Trying to brush off the melancholy mood that was threatening to swamp her for the second time this day, Judy squared her shoulders and asked, "Well, do you have time now that I could go look at them?"

With a bright smile, Patty-Mae answered, "Of course. Just let me refill my water-bottle, then we can be on our way."

"Thanks," Judy said and then watched Patty-Mae ride her emu over to the large ranch house (hares and jackrabbits didn't burrow, but built large, sprawling farm and ranch houses), then watched her dismount and disappear inside the white, tan, and dark-chocolate painted house.

While waiting for Patty-Mae to return, she looked at Ryan, who was still very red in the ears. "You know, Ryan, although I'm not in the market for a boyfriend right now, I wouldn't mind having lunch sometime. Maybe do some catching up." Seeing Ryan's happy expression as he quickly nodded in agreement, she hastily put out a paw and added, "But just as friends. I mean it when I said I'm really not in the mood for any kind of relationship right now."

Ryan nodded as his brothers slapped him on the back to congratulate him (they were positive Ryan could change her mind). With a smile, Ryan replied, "Friends is just fine. I'll be content with that."

Judy's smile slipped slightly and she wondered if this wasn't a mistake. Agreeing to spend time with him as a friend wouldn't be leading him on . . . _would it?_ Before she could say any more (or change her mind), Patty-Mae returned with the water bottle.

"Okay, we can go." After climbing back in her saddle, she gave Judy a smile, then led her back down the dusty country lane.

Ryan watched them go with a small smile on his face. It had been a long time since he'd last seen Judy, but she was still as pretty as ever with her bright, shining, purple eyes and that winning smile of hers—which was a sight for sore eyes considering how bad things had been with her these past few months. He had watched her trying to break up protests and riots on the news, and then after she came home, the rumors had spread around town about her depression.

Ryan had wanted to visit her for some weeks now, but he hadn't been sure she even remembered him, let alone would welcome his company right now. He hadn't even known what he could say to her even if he had visited. But seeing her today, he knew she had gotten over the worst of it. He was glad for this, but it made him wonder if she had been serious about wanting him to look her up when he was in town.

Seeing Ryan gaze off down the road where their sister and Judy had disappeared, Jarod and Jeremy nodded to each other, then moved their rheas over to stand at either side of their younger brother. Slapping Ryan on the back hard enough to knock him forward in the saddle with a loud 'oof', Jarod and Jeremy grinned at their brother.

At a glare from Ryan as he straightened up in the saddle, Jarod said, "There goes the doe you dreamed about in high school." With a wave of his paw, he asked, "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Do about what?" Ryan asked as he shoved his brothers off again. They were being even more annoying than usual today. It was at times like these that he wished _he _was one of the older brothers_—or an only child_.

"What do you mean—_about what?"_ Waving a paw down the road where the two does had disappeared, Jeremy said, "Winning Judy's affection, of course."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Didn't you hear her? She's not looking for a relationship and already has someone she likes."

Jarod leaned over in the saddle and wrapped a paw around his brother's shoulder and pulled him over in a side hug (and nearly pulled him from the saddle which had Ryan's rhea glaring at him). "Judy's in a vulnerable state right now. She just had her dreams blow up in her face and the guy she likes isn't even here to comfort her."

Poking Ryan in the shoulder from his other side, Jeremy said, "That's where you come in. Spend some time with her, be understanding—"

"Maybe offer her a shoulder to cry on," Jarod interrupted as he squeezed Ryan's shoulder for emphasis.

"And who knows," Jeremy continued, "she just might decide she likes you better than that jerk from Zootopia who took her heart and left her hanging."

Ryan couldn't argue with their plan, but it didn't sit right with him—being nice to Judy so he could get a girlfriend. What Judy needed was a _friend_—_not_ a _boy_friend. And with her personality, he didn't hold any high hopes that she would ever see him as more than a friend. He was just a hometown country boy and Judy was always looking to the next horizon . . . which was why he wasn't surprised to hear that Judy had fallen for a city boy.

With a heavy sigh, Ryan said, "Will you two cut it out? We're supposed to be practicing." Pushing Jarod off him, he turned his rhea around and headed back to the barrels they had been racing around when Judy first showed up.

"Oh, come on, Ryan!" Jeremy cried out as he threw his paws up in the air. "She even told you to look her up! She practically invited you on a date already!"

"Yeah!" Jarod agreed as he turned his own rhea around to follow after their dumb brother (if Ryan wanted the girl, he had to chase after her—not let her slip through his fingers a second time!). "You have to buck up and be a male." Jabbing a finger towards his brother's back, he added, "You didn't even get her number! How're you supposed to contact her when you're in town if you don't even have her number?"

Ryan turned around in the saddle to look at his older brothers trailing behind him. "Look, I had a crush on her in high school—that was a _long_ time ago. I don't even know if I still like her, but I'm for sure not in love with her. So," he continued while pointing his finger down and waving it in a circle, "this whole skewed plan of yours is pointless."

Jarod and Jeremy gaped at Ryan for a minute, then Jeremy exclaimed, "Now who's spouting nonsense!? If you want the girl, you have to go after her!"

"That's right," Jarod cut in. "And how do you know if you still like her or not if you don't even spend time with her?"

Ryan shook his head and turned back around to continue towards the barrels. He _did_ want to meet up with Judy again, but he wasn't about to let his brothers know that, otherwise there would be no end to their teasing. He'd have to see if Patty-Mae was able to get Judy's number when she returned, and maybe see if she found out why Judy was wanting to buy an emu when their family already had a dozen or more.

Stopping at the open corral gate, Ryan spoke over his shoulder, "The rodeo starts this Friday and I, for one, don't intend to lose this year. So you two can stand around yapping all you want, but I'm going to practice." And with that, he heeled his rhea into a canter and leaned forward in the saddle. Kicking up a cloud of dust and sand, he raced towards the barrels while leaving his brothers shaking their heads at his unwillingness to chase after Judy.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter, Nick will discover what Shaylee came to talk about. The conversation will shock Nick on several counts and give him much to think about.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, someone with a Napoleon complex is someone who is short and has an inferiority complex because of it or at least is overly sensitive about his height and gets angry easily whenever someone makes a joke about his shorter stature.

Chapter 9: An Open Mind, will post in 2 weeks. If you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them. Take care and stay safe.


	9. Chapter 9: An Open Mind

Nick found himself sitting at a round, metal picnic table with a thick, blue, plastic coating to protect the metal beneath. This particular model of picnic table also had a long back attached to the metal bench seats, which he was grateful for as it gave him something to lean back against—which he was doing now as he sat across the table from Judy's sister, Shaylee, and her truly unexpected (and slightly worrisome) visit.

Upon leaving the clothing store, Nick had returned to Gideon's bakery to drop off his purchases. Shaylee had followed him there and waited downstairs as he dropped his clothes off upstairs in his room. After returning downstairs, he gave Travis a wave goodbye, then followed Shaylee down to Vanilla Mousse, the ice cream shop where they were picking up their icy treats. Due to the summer heat, they both bought an ice cream cone to eat on the way to the park, along with a large shake to drink while they talked afterwards. Nick, of course, had a blueberry shake while Shaylee had bought a carrot shake which she was stirring with her straw as she leaned over the table.

Nick held his own shake up and stirred it, then took a sip, but it didn't taste nearly as good as it should. Not that the shake wasn't excellent in and of itself (they did use fresh blueberries and fresh-made ice cream), but he couldn't get rid of the feeling that he was about to get sucker punched. The way Judy's sister was stalling for time as she focused on her sweet, icy treat did nothing to put his mind at ease. Nor could he shake the feeling that the reason for his soon-to-receive sucker punch was the simple fact that he was a predator and a fox. And it wouldn't be the first time. Ever since the muzzling incident when he was nine, he'd met plenty of mammals who thought it was their right to get a fox's hopes up about something, and then sucker punching him as they gleefully destroyed whatever hope the fox had gained.

Tired of waiting, Nick flicked his ear and got right to the point. "Okay, Shaylee, we're here and no one is around to overhear us. So what is it you need to talk to me about?" With a frown as his tail flicked in irritation, he made a guess at what the conversation would revolve around. "You're not going to deliver my message, are you?"

Shaylee looked up from her icy drink with a deer-in-the-headlights look—and yes, Nick knew that particular look a deer gets at night when a headlight hits him in the face while he's out in the yard or walking on the sidewalk. It was an instinctive reaction of theirs that left them looking shocked and frozen on the spot for several moments. It was a response the various deer species had never evolved out of, even in today's modern world.

Nick scoffed and pushed his drink towards the center of the table, then folded his arms and looked off at the rose garden with its brightly colored red, pink, and white flowers with honeybees buzzing about the fragrant blooms. With his ears folded back against his head, he wondered if he would ever see Judy again. If her family was against them even speaking to each other, how in the world was he to even meet her?

Shaylee's ears perked up and her paw shot forward as she shook it out in front of her. "No, it's not like that. I think Judy really needs to know you're here in town and looking for her."

Nick's ears perked forward as he met Shaylee's sincere brown eyes. "Really? You mean it?" Shaylee nodded, but then his ears splayed to the side as he added, "But you're still not going to give her my note."

Shaylee's ears drooped. "Well, you see, it's not that I don't want to give it to her, it's just that I . . . _can't_."

Nick's ears disappeared again as his tailed swished angrily. "What do you mean, you _can't?_"

Shaylee slid her paws up and down her plastic cup and ignored her wet fingers as her fur absorbed the water droplets that had condensed on the sides of the cup. "Your note was . . . _intercepted_."

Nick's jaw dropped, then he snapped it shut with a soft click of his sharp teeth. After running a paw over his face, he then repeated, _"Intercepted?"_

Shaylee nodded. "My older sister Mandy came by to take her turn at manning the booth and saw me looking at the envelope your note was in." Twisting the cup around in her paws, Shaylee continued, saying, "Mandy was all excited to learn you were in town looking for Judy." Taking a deep breath as one of her ears flicked to catch the sound of a bumblebee buzzing about the flowers, she added, "From what Judy told Mandy, she's been missing you like crazy."

Nick's ears immediately perked up and his tail began wagging slightly with hope and a twinge of happiness. Taking a deep breath, Nick reined in his excitement at learning Judy missed him because something _still_ wasn't right with this picture. Tilting his head slightly while reaching forward to grip his own icy drink, he asked, "So what's the problem?"

Shaylee took a deep breath. "Well, the problem is . . . _Mandy_ was under the impression you were a . . . _hare_. And when she learned you were a _fox_, she flipped out."

_"__A hare!?"_ Nick exclaimed in exasperation, even as his jaw went slack. "Why in the world would Mandy think I was a hare!?" With a shake of his head and a flick of his ear, he waved a paw through the air and added, "And why would it matter whether I was a hare or fox?" A frown was now plastered on Nick's handsome face, even as irritation flashed in his deep emerald eyes. He knew the fact he was a fox was going to come back and bite him in the tail when it came to meeting Judy again.

"Well," Shaylee started as she studied the angry glint in Nick's vibrant green eyes. "If Judy _only_ saw you as a _friend_, then it _wouldn't_ matter and Mandy could care less about what your species was."

Nick's brows furrowed in thought, even as his tail twitched in confusion. "What do you mean _if_ she only saw me as a friend? I'm a fox, she's a rabbit. What else would she see me as?"

Shaylee took a drink of her icy drink while studying Nick's confused face. She could definitely see why Judy might find Nick attractive. As she had noticed this morning, Nick had good breeding, with his looks being lean without being gangly or wimpy, and his stature was well-proportioned. He also carried himself with confidence and his face was so expressive—especially his deep, emerald eyes. She'd never met another mammal before with such expressive eyes. It was truly . . . _mesmerizing_.

As Nick continued watching her (and waiting for a response), Shaylee sat up a little straighter and said, "Well, when Judy was talking to Mandy. . . _about you_ . . . she might have given Mandy the impression that she was . . ." Shaylee paused in thought as she considered the best way to describe her sister's feelings. With a flick of her gray, cottony tail, she continued by saying, "Well, it was obvious to Mandy that Judy was missing you too much for her to be seeing you as just a friend."

Nick's jaws went slack yet again as he tried to make sense of Shaylee's confusing words. Tilting his head slightly as he squeezed his cup between his paws, he asked, "What has Judy done to give Mandy that impression?" Nick had a sinking feeling he knew where this conversation was going, but it made even less sense to him than Shaylee showing up to talk to him. This whole conversation was _crazy,_ and he wondered if Judy's sister was only bringing it up to mess with him.

Shaylee stirred her straw in her slushy drink for a moment, then looked up and met Nick's cautious gaze. With a deep breath, she said, "Mandy found Judy bawling her eyes out one morning after having a dream about you leaving her." Nick's ears disappeared against his head, but Shaylee continued before he could say anything. "It's wasn't the first or last time she's dreamed about you, either. And she keeps beating herself up over destroying her friendship with you." Stirring her shake again, Shaylee added, "She thinks you hate her, and she can't forgive herself for what she said at the press conference or how she hurt you."

Nick pushed his drink back towards the middle of the table, then dropped his face in his paws and raked his fingers through his head fur. He was feeling crummier by the moment. He really shouldn't have stormed off like he had . . . or at least . . . he should have went back and talked to Judy later. He _had_ tried talking to her once. It was after hearing how she'd been hospitalized during one of the protests she was trying to break up. He had broken out in a cold sweat when he first heard she'd been hospitalized, and then after watching the news feed and seeing that moose punch her in the side of the face while trying to hit the red wolf behind her had his hackles up and Nick just wanted to rip the moose's face off!

Of course, once at the hospital, no one would let him anywhere near Judy's room—Nick was lucky just to get a foot in the door.

And then Nick had seen her parents come in. He had considered having them pass a message on to Judy, but he hadn't gotten very close to them when he'd heard her mom grumbling about the state of the city and how they had to convince Judy to come home before she was eaten by some predator. This felt like another sucker punch to him, especially since it was a _moose_—a _prey _specie—who had hospitalized Judy. Her parents wouldn't even acknowledge the bloody part prey played in this whole violent, paranoid mess the city had fallen into!

Nick knew then that talking to them would be a wasted effort and if they cried bloody murder on him (he was fox and approaching paranoid bunnies never ended well), he might even wind up in jail. With parents like that, he knew he didn't stand a chance at getting a hold of Judy. He even expected her to pack up and go home once she got out of the hospital, so it came as a huge surprise to see her trying to break up the Gazelle rally a week later. He thought of meeting with her afterwards to give her a chance to explain her actions from the press conference, but in the end, he never acted on the thought.

Instead, he'd gone back to his 'box' under a bridge. Not that he _literally_ lived in a box under a bridge, but in some ways, you could say that in an emotional sense—_he did_. And he did have a bridge he liked to sit under (and mope) that was close to his home. But it wasn't a place the average mammal would consider as a 'home' seeing as he was living in an abandoned warehouse his grandfather had once owned and built a thriving amusement park for predators out of. At least, it was thriving until prey got wind of it and after a loud protest that turned a bit violent, along with a bunch of negative media coverage, his grandfather had been forced to close it.

But his family's past had nothing to do with the here and now. The problem now was how he had been treating Judy these past 4 months and how she was suffering due to his actions. Now he felt even worse about scaring her and walking out of her life. He really was just a dumb fox. An untrustworthy, dumb fox who didn't deserve her friendship.

From the other side of the table, Shaylee watched the guilt roll off Nick like a tidal wave. Judy blamed herself for their little breakup, but it was obvious Nick also had a part to play in it (there were always two sides to every story). And the fact that Nick was feeling guilty for his part in their breakup gave Shaylee hope that Judy's feelings might be reciprocated—given enough time, anyways.

Stirring her shake with her straw, Shaylee then took another sip before leaning back against the bench and asked, "So what is Judy to you?"

Nick lifted his head enough to meet Shaylee's steady gaze over his clawed fingers. With a flick of his ear, he asked, "What is Judy to me? She's a very good friend. One I wish I had treated better."

Shaylee nodded, then said, "Is that all she is to you?"

Nick's ears flicked back as he wasn't sure how to answer. When he first arrived in Bunnyburrow yesterday afternoon, he didn't know what she was to him. But now, he just knew that he screwed up bigtime with her. There were so many different ways he could have handled the situation—so many _better_ ways of handling it.

Perking her ears forward and giving Nick her undivided attention, Shaylee said, "Let me explain something to you about us does, Nick." With a twitch of her nose, she explained, "A doe doesn't dream about a guy she's not interested in. Nor does she cry over him or think about him non-stop. This only happens if she has feelings for the male."

Nick's ears disappeared against his head and his jaw went slack while his brain went numb.

Ignoring Nick's incredulous look, Shaylee repeated, "So, I ask again: What is Judy to you?"

It took another moment for Nick's brain to reboot, but when it did, he sat up and shook his head while waving his paws out in front him. "No, no, no! This is impossible!" Leaning over the table, he hissed under his breath, "There is _no way_ that Judy has feelings for me!"

Shaylee merely sat back and sipped on her shake, then asked with smug grin, "Why not?"

Nick's jaw went slack yet again, then he exclaimed while pressing his fingers into his chest, "Because I'm a fox and she is a rabbit. There's no way she'd have feelings for a fox!" Shaylee raised an eyebrow at his outburst, but Nick continued without giving her a chance to speak. "Furthermore, Gideon clawed her in the face when she was _nine_ and the whole time I was with her, she always carried a can of Fox-Away spray with her. She never once—_not once_—took it off when she was with me."

Shaylee's eyes widened in surprise. She was a little surprised that Gideon had told Nick that he'd clawed Judy when they were kits, but that wasn't what grabbed her attention. She had watched Judy grab the can of Fox-Away to shut their dad up at the train station, but she didn't think Judy would actually carry it with her. And to be carrying it around after becoming friends with Nick surprised her even more. _What was Judy thinking!?_ No wonder Nick left her after her awful speech at the press conference!

Pointing a clawed finger at the gray doe across from him, Nick continued with a low growl in his voice, "So don't go telling me Judy has special feelings for me or is attracted to me, or whatever other nonsense you're trying to feed me. If the only way she can feel safe around me is to carry Mace around with her then there's no way she would trust me enough to fall for me in a romantic sense."

Shaylee didn't have anything to say for several moments as she was trying to figure out why Judy would be carrying _any_ Fox-Away product around with her. It didn't make any sense to her. With a slight shake of her head, Shaylee said, "I don't know what was going through my sister's head to make her carry that vile product around with her because that's not her style."

"Oh, really?" Nick asked as he sat back against the bench and folded his arms across his chest. With his expression showing very clearly how much he didn't believe her, he perked his ears forward and said, "Enlighten me." For Shaylee to say Judy had any kind of romantic feelings for him felt like she was setting him up to pull the rug out from under his feet and then laugh as the breath was knocked out of him went he hit the floor.

"Well," Shaylee said, "For starters, whenever my parents brought up the incident with Gideon as a reason to not trust foxes, Judy always brushed it off, saying, 'Gideon was a jerk who _happened _to be a fox. I know a lot of _rabbits_ who are jerks.'" With a shrug, Shaylee added, "She never seemed to hold it against foxes that Gideon clawed her so it really doesn't make sense that she would carry Fox Mace around with her."

Nick flicked his ear, saying, "Well, she did." Staring off down the path they walked to get to the picnic table, he added, "Furthermore, she threatened to use it on me after I questioned her about the damaging little spiel she spoke at the conference."

"She what!?" Shaylee exclaimed as she sat up straighter. Judy never cared about Fox-Away products and would periodically throw out their dad's stash of it whenever she found it—or when dad was being paranoid and flashing them around town. Luckily, he had mellowed quite a bit in the last few years and it hadn't been an issue for a while now. She hoped it was a thing of the past considering he was actually partnered with Gideon now—a day Shaylee never expected to see. And it was all thanks to Judy. So **_why _**was she packing Fox Mace around Nick when he was helping her!?

Nick shook his head, then amended his statement while motioning with his paws, "Sorry, when I first confronted her, she immediately separated prey and predators into a _'us'_ and _'them'_ category." Showing her his claws, he added, "It wasn't till I bared my teeth and claws at her," he met Shaylee's brown eyes, "to prove how little she really trusted me for being a predator, that she made a grab at her Mace."

Shaking his head as Shaylee sat stunned, he mumbled, "Of course, if I'd known a red fox had mauled her as a kit, I never would have tried scaring her that way." With a heavy sigh, Nick ran a paw down his face, then shook his head again while thinking again how dumb he'd been. Glancing back at the gray rabbit across from him, he added, "But it did prove my point. My predatory weapons," he raised his paws and wriggled his fingers to show off his claws, "scare her, so there's no way Judy would see me in a romantic light." With a shake of his head, his gaze dropped to the ground as he muttered, "I'm surprised she even saw me as a friend."

Shaylee sat back in her seat and sipped her shake before stirring it again while trying to figure out what was going through her sister's head. She never showed fear for a predator's teeth or claws before. With all the felines she hung out with, how could she? But then to show fear towards Nick after all the help he gave her in finding all those missing mammals! How dumb can her sister be!? Nick was _literally_ the best thing to happen to her (Shaylee didn't know of any other male who would travel such a distance just to track a doe down—especially after their fight!).

As Shaylee sat stewing over her sister's bizarre behavior, Nick watched a line of black ants scurrying across the path and under the picnic table. Besides Gideon, he hadn't had anyone to talk to about what was bothering him. Although Finnick was usually there when he needed him, he wasn't one for emotional talks. But Shaylee actually listened to him and she looked so much like Judy (minus Judy's white markings and amethyst eyes) that it almost felt like he was talking to Judy herself. And as the painful memories washed over him, he finally opened up about how it felt when she turned on him (at least, at the time it felt like she had turned on him).

With a deep breath, and while still watching the ants marching along on their path to wherever, Nick whispered in a soft, pained voice, "I could have handled anyone else being afraid of me, but not _her_, not _Judy_. She had even asked me to be her partner on the police force." Watching several larger, single ants scurry across the ground, he added, "Why would she ask that of me if she didn't trust me?" With his tail hanging limply off the seat beside him, Nick mumbled, "For the first time in a very, _very_ long time, it felt like someone finally believed in me and that I was trusted." With flick of his ear, he added, "Judy made me believe in myself again."

Remembering her reaction to his little scare tactic, Nick's ears splayed to the side of his head as he looked up to meet Shaylee's stunned and curious gaze. "Seeing the fear in her eyes was bad enough, but then smelling it roll off her in waves—it felt like she carved my heart out with a _spoon!"_ Nick's paws curled into fists as he remembered how afraid she'd been of him, how his reflection looked in her terrified pools of amethyst. Even now, four months later, it hurt. _Oh, how it hurt!_

Shaylee's eyes widened and her ears drooped at hearing Nick's confession. At the same time, she came to a stunning revelation. Her and Mandy thought Nick broke Judy's heart when he left her, but come to find out—_Judy _broke Nick's heart _first_.

With a slump of her shoulders, Shaylee whispered, "I'm sorry, Nick."

"Yeah, me too," Nick replied back. Looking up at the sky and watching the wispy clouds drift by, he repeated, "Yeah, me too." Closing his eyes, he let the breeze ruffle his fur as his paws slowly relaxed and released his tightly clenched fists. Taking a deep breath, he crossed his arms over his chest and opened his eyes again, though they remained riveted on the passing clouds above him.

Shaylee sat quietly for a long time as Nick watched the clouds go by. Finally, she sat up a little straighter and said, "I don't know why Judy acted the way she did around you, Nick, because I know for a fact that Judy isn't scared of predators, nor is she scared of their sharp teeth and claws. All her closest friends are predators, most of them much larger felines. But whatever happened in Zootopia to make her fear you, I know Judy regrets it."

Nick dropped his gaze from the sky to meet Shaylee's light brown eyes. Tilting his head, he flicked his ear in acknowledgment, but remained silent.

Shaylee took a deep breath and said, "Look, Nick, Judy really needs to meet you and when you do, please keep an open mind. I'm serious when I say Judy wouldn't be daydreaming about you all the time if she didn't like you as a male."

Nick stared at Judy's sister for several heartbeats, then gave a heavy sigh. Looking up at the Honeylocust tree they were sitting next to and watching as the light breeze ruffled the small, yellowish-green leaves, he finally spoke. In a soft voice, he said, "I honestly don't know how I feel about Judy. When I arrived here yesterday afternoon, I wasn't even sure I wanted to mend our broken friendship. I just needed closure after what happened." With a snort, he glanced back at Judy's sister and admitted, "Judy wasn't the only who couldn't get someone off her mind. I couldn't stop thinking of Judy, either."

With a slight grin that showed a glimpse of his canines, Nick turned his attention back to the small, swaying leaves of the Honeylocust tree. "As much as her words and actions hurt after the press conference, and as angry as I was—both at her and myself for giving her the power to hurt me—I still couldn't forget the way she smiled at me, how her eyes lit up when she spoke to me, the way her paw felt on my arm." Nick shook his head while remembering what happened just before their little moment on the gondola which led to him finally open up to Judy.

And although he wasn't about to admit it to Judy's sister, he couldn't forget how good it felt to hold the energetic ball of fluff _in_ his arms. After their little dunk in the pool at the bottom of Cliffside Asylum, they sat huddled together trying to keep warm while waiting for the ZPD to arrive after Judy called in for backup.

Glancing back at Shaylee, who was listening with rapt attention, her ears perked forward to catch his every word, Nick brought his thoughts back to what happened before their moment on the gondola and said, "We had just faced a savage jaguar who tried to eat us, and her boss, with his posse of very large officers, just brushed it off like Judy was making everything up. Bogo said that because she was a _'timid little rabbit'_ she must see _every_ large predator as a _savage_."

Nick scoffed as he glanced back at the ground to see a new batch of ants scurrying around, this time with a few red and black army ants mixed in with the plain black ones. "It was the first time I felt a real connection to her." With a warm smile, he explained, "Judy had just saved me—_twice_—from the savage jaguar, and I saw how little she was respected and cared about by those who should have had her back . . ." With a shake of his head, he continued, "In that moment I knew exactly how she felt." Glancing back at Shaylee, Nick said, "And when chief Buffalo-butt wanted to take her badge for failing to find her missing otter in 2 days, I told him to shove it. Judy still had 10 hours to solve her case, and that's what we were going to do. And we did."

Shaylee's jaw dropped. "Wait! You stood up to Bogo—_Chief Bogo_, giant water buffalo with massive muscles and this angry glint in his eyes—_that_ Bogo!?" At Nick's nod, Shaylee exclaimed, "You did that just so Judy could keep her badge!?"

Nick nodded again as he flicked his ear, even as his chocolate-colored tail-tip swayed gently as it hung over the edge of the bench. "That's right. When the savage jaguar disappeared, Bogo wanted to take Judy's badge. That was the deal she made with him. She had 48 hours to track down Emmet Otterton, and if she couldn't find him in the allotted time, then she had to resign." With a flick of his ear, he added, "I got Judy her last 10 hours and we found her missing otter, along with all the other missing mammals—_including_ our savage jaguar."

Shaylee took a deep breath and gripped the edge of the table with one paw and fanned herself with the other (which made Nick look at her funny). "Okay, well, that would do it."

With his head cocked and his tail-tip flicking with curiosity, Nick asked, "Do what?"

Taking another deep breath and meeting Nick's deep, emerald gaze, Shaylee explained, "That's when you stole Judy's heart."

"Huh?" Nick was baffled as he couldn't see how standing up to her boss could equate to him stealing Judy's heart.

Leaning across the table, Shaylee pointed to the fox across from her and said, "Nick, you didn't just save Judy's job, you saved her _dream_. You _fought_ for her dream. No one, and I mean _no one_, has ever done that for her. Most mammals openly mocked her for wanting to be a bunny cop in the big city. Others smiled to her face, but then whispered behind her back. And even those of us who truly hoped she would succeed, didn't really believe it was possible. So you are a first for Judy. The first person to truly believe in her _and_ her dream."

Nick sat back in shock and quiet contemplation as he considered Shaylee's words. It looked like he and Judy really did have a lot more in common than he originally thought. How many mammals openly mocked him, snickered behind his back, or was just waiting for him to fail? Whether it be on a project he was working on or just life in general? And Judy was the first mammal since he was a kit to truly believe in him and give him a chance—a chance to turn his life around and make something of himself. And how did he thank her for it? He scared her, then gave her an emotional slap in the face before walking off without a single look back.

With a heavy sigh, Nick rubbed his face between his eyes. He really messed up bad with Judy. The world had always been beating him down, and after finally finding someone who cared about him, he beat her down at the first mistake she made.

With her nose twitching, Shaylee watched Nick's expression go from shock, to understanding, empathy, and finally guilt. It was obvious that Nick had strong feelings for Judy, even if he didn't realize it yet. Taking a large drink of her shake, Shaylee gave Nick another moment of thought as she studied the fox Judy had fallen for. Seeing as Nick was taking responsibility for his part in their breakup meant he and Judy could work through this and their relationship will be stronger for it. With a smile, she broke through his thoughts by saying, "You said you helped Judy find all those missing mammals."

Lifting his gaze from the blue tabletop, Nick nodded. "Yeah, I helped her find the place they were keeping them and then we snuck in together."

With a nod, Shaylee said, "Not only did you fight for Judy's dream, you _joined_ her in her dream—even if it was just for that one case. That's not something anyone else would be willing to do. No one else would have even _thought _of joining her on one of her cases. And for someone like Judy, who had to fight for her dream—_alone_—every step of the way, this was huge. If we were living in a fairy tale, then you would have been the knight in shining armor who arrived to save the day and rescue her. How could she _not_ fall in love with you?"

Nick didn't reply. Shaylee had just dumped a lot of information on him—a lot of information that painted a very bizarre picture. This was the first time Shaylee used the _'L'_ word in relation to Judy's feelings and it just baffled him. He was a predator, a predator whom Judy had already shown fear towards once, and whose 'DNA' said he could go 'savage' at any moment. How could she like him as more than a friend? And could _he_ see _her_ as more than a friend?

Nick didn't know. He couldn't deny how much he missed her, and he definitely felt a connection to her—but was that enough to say he loved her? That he wanted more from her than just her company and someone to talk to? He had only known her 4 days, and that wasn't nearly long enough to know—especially with all the negative feelings their relationship had ended on.

Looking up from watching a small, black jumping spider pouncing on one of the ants as it scurried by, Nick met Shaylee's hopeful brown eyes and said, "Look, Shaylee, I care a lot about Judy. I won't lie and say I don't, but beyond that—_I don't know_. I need to see her. I need to talk to her. To spend _time _with her."

Shaylee's eyes brightened as a wide smile spread across her face. "I can agree to that. Just know it's an option."

Nick nodded and just then remembered his own drink. Pulling it towards him again, he swirled the shake around with his straw a moment, then took a large gulp of it. He had been talking a lot and the icy drink felt good sliding down his dry throat. Looking Shaylee over as she drank her own drink, Nick then said, "All this means nothing, though, seeing as _somebunny _let my note be intercepted and doesn't seem to have any intention of telling Judy about me herself. It's kind of hard to spend time with someone who doesn't even know I'm here."

It was Shaylee's turn to look guilty and her eyes widened as Nick reminded her of the other reason she had sought Nick out. Setting her drink back on the table, she clasped her paws together and took a deep breath. With her nose twitching and her ears drooping, she said, "Yes, right. Hmm, now that we've discussed Judy and her probable feelings for you, we now need to discuss my other sister and her stupid ideas."

Nick's ears disappeared against his head. "You're talking about Mandy, right?"

Shaylee nodded, saying, "Yes." With her light-gray nose twitching, she added, "And her stupid ideas."

Nick felt like someone just pulled the rug out from under him as the red flags that were going off in his head earlier now had warning sirens blaring alongside them.

* * *

WingedKatt here. So how did you like the conversation Nick and Shaylee were having? Although Judy wasn't physically here in the chapter, she was definitely here in spirit. Next chapter, we'll see how Mandy is taking the news of her sister's love interest and then Judy and Patty-Mae are going to have an interesting conversation while on their way to check out Patty-Mae's emus.

Ch. 10: _Of Course Not!_ will post in 2 weeks. I hope you all have a safe weekend. If you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to here them.


	10. Chapter 10: Of Course, Not!

Mandy leaned over the booth, nibbling on her thumbnail, while worrying over her older sister's strange fascination with this fox from Zootopia. It had taken some time earlier to get through the long line of customers that Shaylee had left her with, so she hadn't been able to think about her older sister's insane infatuation with this Nick character. But she had a break now and she couldn't stop her mind from dwelling on this unsettling matter of her sister's feelings for a city fox she hardly knew.

How could she fall for a fox? A predator? It went against every instinct a rabbit had. It would be bad enough if she fell for any other predator—but a _fox!?_ Those conniving, untrustworthy, disloyal animals. Judy was just setting herself up for further heartbreak because that fox will trample all over her emotions. Had Judy forgotten what Gideon had done to her when they were kits? How he laughed at her dream and told her how much of a dumb bunny she was just before clawing her in the face? Never mind how many other mammals repeatedly told Judy the same thing, foxes weren't to be trusted with one's heart . . . or much of anything else, for that matter.

Yes, she knew her dad had partnered with Gideon and he seemed to have turned his life around, but they hadn't been partnered for very long, and they certainly weren't bosom buddies or anything. They were business partners, nothing more.

Dropping her face in her paws and running her blunt claws through her short black and white fur, Mandy was tempted to pull some of it out while thinking of Judy. Even if Nick had helped her out on her case, how could her sister fall for him? How could Judy find a fox attractive? Especially a red fox who was so much taller and bigger than she was. Red foxes had such an odd fur color, what with it being orangey-red and all. And their ears were so large and triangular, not the tall slender ears of a rabbit. And a fox's long, bushy tail—aptly referred to as a _broom_—was not to be compared with the soft, petite tail of a rabbit.

"Oh, Judy, Judy, Judy, what have you done?" Mandy moaned into her paws.

"Um, Mandy, can you get me 4 bushels of broccoli and 6 cabbages?" a black Hebridean sheep said, with his four horns—2 growing up from the top of his head and 2 more growing down towards his chin. His name was Mason, and his great-grandparents had immigrated here from Scotland.

"Oh, yes, sorry about that, Mason," Mandy said. Although Mason and his family were nice enough, she felt a little unsettled about Mason's four horns, as it wasn't something one normally saw on sheep. And it was even rumored that Mason's grandfather had six horns!

Taking a deep breath, Mandy brought her attention back to her job. Grabbing the veggies Mason had asked for, she filled the ram's reusable bags, then took his payment. Handing him his change, Mandy waved goodbye, then turned to the next customer. This was a young, tan and white rabbit mother with six little ones standing behind her holding paws so no one got lost or wandered off.

"Good afternoon, Cindy-Lou," Mandy said as the doe stepped up to the booth's counter.

"Hello, Mandy," Cindy-Lou replied. "How's life going for you?"

Mandy put on a smile and tried not to think about the startling revelation about Judy's feelings for her city fox. "Well, I'm doing great. Not much to complain about," she lied to her friend from high school. Mandy did not want it getting out that her older sister had gone against all her instincts and fallen for a predator, a shifty fox. The scandal would be the talk of the town if it got out that a Hopps' doe wanted to climb in bed with a fox.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Cindy-Lou answered back with a bright smile. Looking over the various fruits and vegetables, the young mother pointed out what she wanted and made sure she didn't forget the carrots.

Mandy was just finishing up wrapping the carrots when one of the young kits (a little, brown and cream doe named Molly) pointed to a basket of strawberries and said, "I want strawberries, Momma." This was quickly followed by a chorus of "Me, too," and "I want strawberries!" and ended with several large, cute pleading pairs of eyes as the kits begged, "Pwease! Can we, Momma?"

With a sigh and slight shake of her head, Cindy-Lou said, "Okay, okay, I'll get some strawberries."

"Yay!" the little kits cried as they threw their little paws up in the air, with a few jumping up and down.

Grinning at her young brood, Cindy-Lou turned back to Mandy and said, "I guess I'm getting some strawberries, too."

Mandy smiled back and added several baskets of strawberries, enough to keep the little buns happy. She and Cindy-Lou chatted a few more minutes, then Cindy-Lou decided it was time to get her little ones home.

Turning to her brood, Cindy-Lou said, "Okay, everyone, hold paws with your buddy partner." Watching as her kits grabbed someone's paw, she then asked, "Okay, does everyone have a paw? No one's been left out, right?"

"No, Mama," and "I got my paw," were sounded by the little buns as they held up their clasped paws to show everyone had a paw.

With a grin, Cindy-Lou said, "Okay, say goodbye to Mandy, and then back to the van." The little bunnies waved to the black and white doe manning the booth, thanked her for the strawberries, then piled back into their mother's mini-van. With a wave goodbye, Cindy-Lou followed her brood and climbed in behind the wheel, then headed for home.

Mandy watched them leave, then dropped her head back in her paws (there was no one else in line). "Why can't you find a nice buck and settle down like Cindy-Lou?" Mandy mumbled while thinking of her older sister and Judy's sudden fox-fetish. Scratching her blunt claws through her head fur, she still couldn't understand why her sister would choose a fox, of all predators, to fall for. If she had to fall for any predator, why couldn't it have been a playful little otter or something?

Shaking her head, Mandy, came back to the fact that a rabbit choosing a predator, _any predator,_ went against their instincts, but one that anciently hunted and ate them—that kind of thinking would have gotten Judy thrown into the nuthouse fifty years ago. Most of the old timers might still want to throw her in a mental institution if they ever found out about Judy's taste in males.

Pulling out her phone, Mandy sent out several texts to her siblings stating they needed to have a meeting about Judy's state of mind, and that they needed to keep it hush-hush from mom and dad, as well as the rest of the town. Mandy immediately got several responses, a few asking what was up, while several others were simply '?'.

Replying back that some things had come up that were a bit alarming, Mandy then set a time for late that evening to meet. She didn't text all her siblings, as some of them were no longer living at the burrow, while there were quite a few others who would be even more against the idea of keeping Judy in the dark about the fox's presence in town than Shaylee was.

Once she responded to everyone she needed to, Mandy put her phone back in her pocket. Looking down the road, she saw a dusty, green farm truck driving down the paved road, but she knew right away it wouldn't stop at her family's booth. It belonged to the Woollsons, a family of Shropshire sheep who also had a roadside booth down the road several miles.

Watching the truck drive past and waving back at the black-faced ram behind the wheel, Mandy went back to nibbling on her blunt thumbnail. How could her sister want to climb in bed with a fox? Although Mandy knew Judy had just realized her feelings, and so probably wasn't thinking that far ahead in her attraction to the fox, it wouldn't be long before her thoughts moved to that point—especially if she actually met the fox while he was here in town.

Mandy figured the fox probably wouldn't even look at Judy in that light (Why would he? He was a fox and Judy was a _rabbit!_), but on the slim chance that he did—how could any doe accept having a predator's strong paws, sharp claws, and even sharper teeth all over her body (there were enough predators in town that Mandy knew predators didn't just kiss their mates, but also nipped them). And with Nick being a fox, an animal designed to take down and kill rabbits, what if he got too rough with Judy? What if he didn't listen to what she wanted? What if . . .

A horn honking distracted Mandy from her dismal thoughts and she glanced up to see one of her neighbors waving at her as he drove by. Mandy waved back, then took a deep breath while trying to push the negative thoughts down. She knew she was overreacting and thinking of all the worst-case scenarios, but she couldn't help it. Judy hadn't shown any interest in any male all these years and then she goes and falls for a fox!

Mandy just couldn't get her mind wrapped around her older sister's love-interest, but these were worries for another time. Looking up as a pastel orange jeep drove up, followed by a sky-blue SUV, followed by a light green mini-van, Mandy stood up straight and pasted a smile on her face. The late afternoon rush had just started.

...

Riding beside Patty-Mae, Judy was lost in thought, worrying about whether Ryan would get his heart crushed if she started hanging out with him. She hoped not. She really did want to be friends with Ryan. He was a good buck (at least, he was back in high school and it didn't seem like his personality had changed much since then), and Judy wondered why he wasn't married yet. He had been shy and quiet in high school, but it was obvious that he'd opened up since then and was more confident with himself. So why hadn't some lucky doe already snatched him up? It was something she wanted to ask him the first chance she got.

Judy's thoughts were interrupted by Patty-Mae as she looked at Judy and asked, "So, what was that about?" With a jerk of her head behind them, she indicated the scene she came upon after Alec had ridden out to fetch her.

Judy's ears drooped as she took a deep breath. Meeting Patty-Mae's curious gaze, she answered, "Jeremy informed me that Ryan had a crush on me in high school, but he didn't have the guts to ask me out back then." With a twitch of her nose as she turned to look at the road ahead, Judy continued, "He then informed Ryan that life had given him a second chance, and that he should just ask me out." With a wave of her paw, Judy said, "Jarod agreed with Jeremy and the two proceeded to embarrass us both in their efforts to convince Ryan to buck up and be a male."

Dropping her paw down on her saddle horn, Judy sighed again. In a quiet voice, she added, "I wish Ryan had asked me out in high school. He was a good buck and I wouldn't have turned him down."

Patty-Mae's ears immediately perked up as she said, "You do? I mean, you would have actually dated Ryan . . . if he had asked?" It was no secret in her family that during her brother's high school days, Ryan had a thing for the Hopps girl who wanted to be a cop. It was also no secret that Judy turned her nose up at most males, and when it came to dating—she didn't give them the time of day.

Judy gave a nod, saying, "Ryan was quiet, but I liked that about him. He was always nice to me, and the few times we had the chance to talk, I always enjoyed myself. He never made me feel like I was crazy or dumb for wanting to be a cop, nor did I ever feel like I had to prove myself to him." Glancing back at Patty-Mae, Judy added, "I was glad to see him again, but I'm actually surprised to hear he's still single. I was sure some nice doe was going to snatch him up a year or two out of high school."

Patty-Mae merely sat in the saddle staring at Judy, shocked at her high praise of her brother. Most does in high school complained he was too quiet—reclusive, even—and so never gave him a second glance. Being several years younger than both Judy and Ryan, Patty-Mae had never attended school with either of them. But she did remember her older siblings talking about it. She also heard enough of her older siblings talking about the Hopps' doe who aspired to be a big city cop. As Judy had pointed out, quite a few thought she was a bit crazy or expected her to fail. Some even thought she would give up the dream once she graduated high school.

But Ryan was never one of them. He only ever had good things to say about Judy and was always saying how Judy would make it one day. So, when the news on tv showed Judy receiving her badge 4 months ago and being assigned to the heart of Zootopia, it left everyone flabbergasted—everyone but Ryan. Besides Judy herself, Ryan was probably the proudest person here in Bunnyburrow of Judy's accomplishments. And he never missed an opportunity to rub it in their faces that she had made it.

At least, he did until her press conference on her fourth day on the job as he didn't know how to respond to it. There were a lot of mixed reactions here in Bunnyburrow over her speech about predators reverting back to their savage ways. A lot of the old-timers, of course, jumped on the bandwagon, saying they always knew predators couldn't be trusted and the savage attacks in Zootopia validated their arguments that predators should never have been allowed to move into Bunnyburrow in the first place.

But there was enough of the younger generation who were close friends, coworkers, and even business partners with many of the town's predators that the specist old-timers' cries remained nothing more than a loud noise in the background. There were a few cases of vandalism against a few of the predator's property, but the perpetrators were discovered quickly enough and the nonsense was put to rest.

With a twitch of her ear, Patty-Mae brought her mind back to the present and looked Judy over. She immediately noticed that the gray doe beside her didn't seem too excited about the prospects of Ryan asking her out now. Her ears were drooping and she was watching the breeze blowing through the leaves of the trees they rode beside. With a heavy sigh, Patty-Mae said, "You would have dated my brother in high school, but it doesn't seem like you're too thrilled about the idea now."

Judy glanced over sharply, then took a deep breath as her shoulders slumped slightly. "If we had met before I went to Zootopia, I would still have given Ryan a chance and would be looking forward to it, but now. . ." She waved her paw through the air but didn't elaborate.

Patty-Mae sat quietly in the saddle for a moment in thought, then said, "You met someone in Zootopia, didn't you?"

Judy nodded and said, "I did. And I informed your brothers of that, but Jarod and Jeremy didn't think it mattered as Nick isn't here with me now."

With a knowing smile, Patty-Mae perked up and said, "So his name is _Nick?"_

Judy's ears perked up and she glanced at Patty-Mae as she realized what slipped out. With a sigh as her eyes and voice softened, Judy replied, "Yeah, his name is Nick." Thinking of the handsome todd who was missing from her life, Judy's smile softened further while she considered everything Nick had done for her.

Seeing Judy's gentle smile, Patty-Mae knew right away that her brother didn't have much of a prayer at winning Judy over at this point, for it was obvious the doe's feelings ran deep for this Nick mammal. Too bad Ryan was so shy in high school and never bothered looking Judy up after graduation. The two of them might actually have been married by now. With a heavy sigh, Patty-Mae figured there was no point to dwelling on the 'what ifs' and 'might have been'.

Remembering where she was at, Judy sat straighter in the saddle and pushed the memories of Nick back down, then glanced at her companion, saying, "Jarod and Jeremy figure that Ryan just needs to prove he's more reliable than my complicated flame in Zootopia and I'll be jumping at the chance to date him."

Patty-Mae smacked her forehead and groaned. "My brothers are so stupid sometimes." Wiping a paw down her face, she met Judy's purple gaze and said, "I'm sorry you had to be subjected to their nonsense. I'll give them a good ear-twisting once I get home."

Judy chuckled and immediately felt a kinship with the tan and dark doe beside her. "It's okay," she replied. "I know they meant well, and Ryan really wasn't having any of it." With a grin while waving her paw towards Patty-Mae, she added, "As you saw when you rode up." With a chuckle, Judy said, "I think their efforts will backfire on them as I think Ryan's probably too embarrassed now to look me up."

Patty-Mae's ears perked up as she glanced at Judy. "What do you mean?"

"I told Ryan to look me up sometime and we'd have lunch. But the way Jarod and Jeremy were ragging on him, I'm sure Ryan will be too embarrassed to contact me." Nibbling on her thumb-claw, she added, "I forgot to give him my number, too. Jarod and Jeremy were being too noisy and obnoxious."

With her countenance brightening, Patty-Mae immediately offered, "I could give him your number if you want."

Judy returned the doe's smile and said, "Would you?" At Patty-Mae's nod, they exchanged phone numbers. Judy then said, "I told Ryan I only wanted to meet as friends." With a slight frown, she asked, "You don't think I'd be leading him on if we hung out, do you?"

Patty-Mae was silent for a moment, then said, "Well, if you told him you weren't wanting a relationship, then it should be fine. But I'll tell him again when I give him your number."

With a relieved smile, Judy replied, "Thanks. That's a huge relief. I don't want him to get his hopes up only to have them dashed later when he realizes I've 'friend-zoned' him."

Patty-Mae chuckled lightly at Judy's description, then after a moment, she said curiously, "So tell me about this Nick fella. What's he like and how did he steal your heart?"

Judy's smiled softened again and she happily told Patty-Mae all about the todd who saved her career, her life, and who now held her heart—minus the fact that he was, indeed, a _todd_.

Patty-Mae listened with avid fascination and had to agree with Judy—_Nick was a keeper._ This made her wonder why they weren't together now and why Judy never bothered telling her mother about Nick. If Bonnie knew that Judy liked someone, then she wouldn't have a cause to sell her off to some nameless buck, right? So why hadn't Judy told her?

Rubbing her emu's long, dark-brown neck, Patty-Mae asked, "So what happened? And why haven't you told your mom about Nick, so she'd stop setting you up on all those blind dates?"

Judy heaved a heavy sigh as her long ears drooped against her back. "After everything he did for me, I said some really specist things that hurt him and then reacted badly to a point he was making which hurt him even worse." With another heavy sigh, she added, "I haven't seen him since." Glancing down at her reins while thinking of Patty-Mae's second question, she said, "The reason I haven't told my mom about him is for the same reason that Nick took my words and actions so hard."

Patty-Mae was quiet for a moment, then said, "He's not a rabbit, is he?" This was the only reason Judy wouldn't want to tell her mom, which made her extremely glad that both her parents and her boyfriend's parents weren't bothered by their slightly inter-species relationship. It wasn't so long ago that Judy's parents were openly against a rabbit-hare relationship, let alone anything else. And Patty-Mae was getting the feeling that Judy's love-interest was in the 'anything else' category going by how down Judy was looking and sounding.

Judy shook her head and laughed bitterly, saying, "He's the farthest thing from a rabbit as you can get." With another heavy breath, she rubbed her forehead and explained, "And if my mother and other specist family members ever found out about my taste in males, they'll either disown me or want to check me into a nuthouse."

Patty-Mae was quiet for several moments as she thought over Judy's words, then her eyes lit up and a paw shot to her mouth. In a hushed whisper, she asked, "Nick's a predator, isn't he?" Judy didn't respond but sat tense in the saddle, and after a moment, Patty-Mae reached a paw out to rest on Judy's arm, saying, "I'm not judging you, Judy. If a predator had done for me what Nick did for you, I'd probably fall for him, too." Removing her paw from Judy's arm, Patty-Mae ran her paw down her ears and added, almost to herself, "I can see why you don't want to tell your mom about him."

Judy sighed in relief. She hadn't felt that Patty-Mae was the specist, gossipy-kind, but one could never know for sure. With a smile, Judy fished out her phone and opened the photo app. Scrolling down, she pulled up the only photo she had of the slick todd who had stolen her heart. Flipping the phone around, she handed it to her friend, saying, "I snapped this picture of him after we found all the missing mammals." As Patty-Mae took the phone from her, Judy smiled brightly while adding, "Like I said, he's the farthest thing from a rabbit as you can get."

Patty-Mae glanced over the handsome red todd with the bright green eyes smiling back at her from Judy's phone. Having heard the story of how Gideon had clawed Judy when they were kits, Patty-Mae was shocked to see that Judy had fallen for a red fox todd. Of course, the fact that Judy was willing to accept the help of a red fox was equally shocking.

But here he was, happily staring back at her from Judy's phone. "Wow," Patty-Mae said. "Compared to Gideon, he looks good." He was tall and slender, wearing a green Pawaiian shirt, and carried himself with confidence and a hint of humor in his expression that Gideon lacked.

With a grin, Judy responded, "Doesn't he?" After a moment, her grin slipped. "I compared him to Gideon when we first met and assumed Nick was as . . ." she paused to find the best way to word her impression, then ended with, "_educationally_ challenged as Gideon." Pulling on one of her ears, Judy added with a groan, "I was so patronizing to him." Tugging on her ear again, she moaned, "Every time he showed me how smart he was, I was shocked and made some other dumb remark to show how surprised I was at his intelligence." Leaning over the saddle, Judy patted Pebbles fluffy side and moaned, "How could he stand to be around me?" Rubbing her face into the birds long, hair-like feathers, she mumbled, "No wonder Nick thought I was such a dumb bunny those first two days."

Patty-Mae watched Judy lament over her dealings with the handsome todd as her bird shook its head at a fly buzzing about its head. Shaking her own head at seeing first-hand the pain of hindsight, Patty-Mae then asked, "So what are you going to do?" Judy glanced up at her, and Patty-Mae explained, "Well, are you just going to let him go?"

Sitting up quickly, Judy exclaimed, "Of course, not!" Sitting back so she was sitting properly in the saddle again, she said, "That's why I'm buying an emu." Looking back down the road, Judy continued, "I'm never going to see Nick again if I just mope around my parents' burrow being all depressed all the time."

Patty-Mae nodded in understanding, then asked, "So you want to get an emu to get you out the house and have something to do?" She didn't understand why Judy would need to buy her own emu when her family had several already (including the one she was riding).

"Sort of," Judy replied. Seeing a black and white magpie fly by, she explained, "I want to train an emu and then sign up for the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol. I want to spend a season or two there getting my life back together, then I want to search for Nick. I need to see him, to apologize, and then see if we can't at least be friends again." With a heavy sigh as she looked back down at the reins in her paws, Judy added, "Right now, I just want to fix our friendship, and if we can do that, then I'll see if we can't possibly be something more."

Patty-Mae watched the gray doe riding beside her for a moment. With as doggedly as Judy had pursued her dream of being a big city cop, Patty-Mae knew Judy would put the same amount of time and effort into finding Nick again. And until she found him and apologized, there was no way she'd be able to look at another male. _If_ they fixed their friendship, but Nick didn't share her deeper feelings, Judy _might_ be able to look other males, but that was a really big _'if'_.

Twitching her ear to catch the sound of a woodpecker knocking on a tree trunk behind her, Patty-Mae asked, "Do you have any idea how to find him?" Glancing around at the open fields they were now traveling by, she looked back at Judy, asking, "Do you know if he's still in Zootopia?"

With a shake of her head, Judy looked up even as her ears dropped against her back. "I don't know. I looked for him before I left, but Zootopia is a_ really_ big place, and Nick's _very_ good at not being found when he doesn't want to be." Running a paw dejected down her ears, she then waved the paw through the air while adding, "So I don't know if he's still in Zootopia, if he fled to one of the neighboring towns, or if, heaven forbid, he's at one of the predator refugee camps."

Patty-Mae's ears drooped herself. With Nick being not only a predator, but a _fox_ as well, the persecution by prey mammals must be worse for him. And he might even be experiencing more problems from other predators. Not many mammals liked foxes, and other predators were just as specist against foxes as most prey. And if he was stuck in one of the refugee camps, then he was probably getting the scraps of the supplies that were brought in weekly.

Seeing Judy's dejection, Patty-Mae spoke up. "I know one of the predators that takes the supplies out to the refugee camp each week. If you text me that picture of Nick, I can print it off and give it to him and he can check out the camp to see if Nick is there." With a shrug, Patty-Mae added, "If he's there, then you don't have to worry about searching for him, and if not, then at least you'll know."

Judy immediately perked up. "Really? You'll do that for me?" At Patty-Mae's nod, Judy immediately pulled out her phone and texted her friend the picture.

She didn't like the idea of Nick being stuck in one of the refugee camps (she'd heard they were awful, with them being over-crowded, having a severe lack of privacy, and very questionable sanitation conditions), but at the same time, if he was there and she could get a hold of him now, she could properly apologize and bring him here to Bunnyburrow. She wasn't sure what she'd do with him once he was here, but she was sure she could make arrangements for him to stay with someone (she seriously doubted her parents would be okay with her bringing a fox into the burrow). Maybe Gideon would take him in? She would have to ask—_provided_ they found Nick.

With at least a part of her search taken care of, a wide smile spread across her face as some of the weight she'd been feeling was lifted.

They rode in companionable silence after Judy sent the picture, as both does were lost in thought. While Judy was remembering Nick and hoping they found him (she didn't want to entertain the idea that he wasn't there), Patty-Mae was worrying about what would happen if they did find him. Would he accept Judy's apology? Would he want to live in a town full of specist rabbits? And if he did, would he return Judy's feelings? _If not_, then Judy _might_ be able to give Ryan a chance, but if Nick _did_ share Judy's feelings . . . what then? It's not like they could get married.

As this realization dawned on her, Patty-Mae's ears drooped, and she glanced quickly at her new friend—just from this short conversation, she felt a strong kinship with the gray doe riding beside her. Seeing her bright smile, Patty nibbled on her lower lip, not wanting to break Judy's hopeful mood. But she needed to think of all this _before_ Nick showed up—whenever and however that might be.

"Um, Judy," Patty-Mae spoke softly. As Judy met her gaze, she asked, "Have you thought of what will happen when you find him?"

Tilting her head in question, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, say you find Nick and he accepts your apology, and then he also develops strong feelings for you—_what then?_ How far do you see this relationship going? Dating? Lovers? What?"

With perked ears and a confident smile, Judy answered, "If he'll have me, then I'll take him as my mate."

With a nod, Patty-Mae said, "That's what I thought you'd say." With a heavy sigh, she pointed out, "But you know the chances of you two being able to marry is nigh impossible . . . right?"

Judy's ears, which had relaxed slightly, perked forward again, then dropped to her back. Looking forward over her bird's small head, she brought a paw up and nibbled on her thumbnail. Patty-Mae had a point. It wasn't so long ago that anyone trying to get their inter-species marriage approved (prey-prey or pred-pred) had months of paperwork and arguments (some taking years if the two species were too different from each other—say, a ram and a deer or a badger and a feline) before their marriage license was approved. But for her and Nick's marriage to be approved—she couldn't really see that happening. They might have been able to fight for it before, but now, with all the savage attacks happening in Zootopia, it would be impossible now.

With a worried expression, she muttered around her thumbnail, "I just realized my feelings for Nick yesterday, so I haven't had a chance to think that far ahead. I've been too busy worrying about how to get my life together so I could find him."

They both rode in silence again while trying to think of a way around this dilemma. George's orchards were just coming into view when Patty-Mae finally said, "If you had one of those marriage chokers from the olden days, you could always marry him in the old tradition."

Judy's ears perked up as she knew exactly what her tan friend was talking about. With a wide smile spreading across her face, she answered, "As a matter of fact, I do have one." At Patty-Mae's stunned look, she elaborated, "It belonged to my great-great-grandma Bernice, who passed it on to my great-grandma Cecilia. Great-grandma Cecilia passed it down to me when I was a teenager saying, _that like her_, I was different from other rabbits and so she wanted me to have it. She also left me her secluded mountain cabin my great-grandfather built for her when she needed to get away from everything."

Dropping her gaze back down to her paws and the reins she was guiding Pebbles with, Judy said softly, "She always said that I might need them both someday." Remembering her great-grandmother's own tragic love-story, and hoping history wasn't about to repeat itself, she whispered, "I guess she was right."

* * *

**FYI:** The **Hebridean sheep** is a small, black sheep from Scotland. Rams and ewes typically have one pair of horns, but sometimes have two pairs or more, with some have none at all. Its coat is coarse wool which fades to a reddish brown in the sun and often turns gray with age. They are considerably smaller than most other breeds of sheep, but are extremely hardy. They are able to thrive on rough grazing and are often used for conservation grazing to maintain natural grassland or heathland habitats. They are perfectly effective at scrub control.

The **Shropshire sheep** is a white, hornless sheep with a black face and black legs. They originated in England in the 1840's when breeders in the area used the local black-faced sheep and bred them with a few breeds of white-faced sheep. They are a medium sized sheep that are hardy, vigorous, and meaty.

* * *

WingedKatt here. Mandy is hatching a nefarious plan to get rid of Nick while Judy and Patty-Mae had a nice bonding experience. But what is this tragic love-story Judy mentioned? Find out in the next chapter. We'll also see how Nick and Shaylee's conversation plays out. So stay tuned.

Chapter 12: _Unfairness_, will post in 2 weeks. If you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them. Have a great weekend and stay safe.


	11. Chapter 11: Unfairness

Nick sat back against the bench with his arms crossed over his chest and his ears folded back as Shaylee told him about her other sister. Mandy's 'stupid ideas' turned out to be just plain _insane_. Listening to Shaylee finish explaining her sister's ridiculous plan to keep him away from Judy, Nick glanced off towards the left and watched a large bumblebee buzzing about the place. As Judy's sister finished her little spiel, Nick turned back and studied the gray rabbit across from him.

Shaylee's ears were laying down her back and she was quietly sipping her drink, her little pink nose twitching slightly while she waited for his response. Taking a deep breath, Nick leaned forward and spread his paws across the table. "Let me get this straight," he began, then pointed to the gray doe across from him. "Your sister, _Mandy_, is convinced that Judy has romantic feelings for me." He pointed to himself, and at Shaylee's nod, Nick continued, "And because of this, she's hatched this crazy plan to drive me out of town before Judy even knows I'm here—all because Mandy's convinced that I'm going to take advantage of Judy's feelings, and once her emotions are hopelessly tangled up in me, that I'm going to ruthlessly crush her heart before running off like some cliched villain in a B-rated movie. Is that it?"

"Well," Shaylee started, "I don't know about the B-rated villain part, but yeah, that about sums it up."

Nick snorted as he leaned back against the bench and crossed his arms over his chest again. He knew the fact he was a fox would come back and bite him in the tail. There's no way a town run by bunnies would ever accept the friendship between a fox and a rabbit—especially if that friendship ran deeper than just friends. He still wasn't convinced Judy wanted more from him, nor did he know how he felt in return, but even if there was nothing between them, they were still going to run him out of town. _So much for small town hospitality_, he thought with a snort.

Shaylee sat across from the disgusted and angry red fox as he fumed about the unfairness of Mandy's crazy plan. Although she had agreed not to say anything to Judy for a week, she was beginning to regret it. Mandy's plan really was stupid, and it was obvious now that Nick had no intention of hurting Judy. And after the effort he put in to find her, Shaylee couldn't see the fox leaving Judy afterwards.

As Nick continued to stare off into the distance, the unfairness of it all written across his face, Shaylee's shoulders slumped. It really was unfair to both of them. Judy shouldn't have to wait another week to find out Nick came looking for her, and to try and run Nick out of town for no other reason than he was a fox—this was wrong in so many ways.

With a deep breath, Shaylee sat up straighter and pulled out her phone, saying, "You know what, Mandy is being foolish and specist. I'll just call Judy now and tell her you're here and wanting to talk to her. I know she'll come right away."

Nick looked sharply over at her, surprised that Shaylee would do this for him. He desperately wanted to see Judy again, but at the same time, he didn't want to get Shaylee in trouble, not after she went out of her way to tell him all this. Reaching over, he put a paw over the top of Shaylee's phone, stopping her from calling Judy. "Wait," he said, "I don't like it and it's certainly not fair, but Mandy only has a week, right?"

Shaylee nodded. "That's right. If you're not gone in a week, then I was going to tell Judy about you."

Nick took a deep breath and ran a paw between his ears and down the back of his neck. Releasing his breath as his tail flicked beside him, he finally said, "Look, I'll play Mandy's stupid little game, and," pounding the table with his clawed finger, he continued, "I'll prove to her _and_ your family that I'm serious about your sister. I'm not playing any games when it comes to Judy or her feelings."

Shaylee's ears perked up, surprised that the fox was willing to put up with such nonsense and, if she wasn't lying—_verbal abuse_, which she knew would turn to something worse (and physical) if she hadn't threatened to tell both Judy and their parents should anyone harm a hair on his head. With her nose and tail both twitching, she asked, "Are you sure? Some of my brothers are pretty violent with their verbal abuse."

Nick scoffed while looking off down the path they had walked along earlier while muttering, "It's nothing I haven't dealt with before." He was thinking about an incident that happened several weeks ago. Although he hadn't mentioned anything to Gideon yet, he had a gash on his back that probably needed looked at. He received it after getting caught up in a _'argument'_ between a specist rodent and his unlucky predator victim at the grocery store.

While he was still back in Zootopia, Nick tried to avoid going out in public as much as possible, but he'd eaten his last pack of protein bars for breakfast that morning and knew he needed to buy more food before lunch. He didn't like living off the bars, but he'd already eaten all the good stuff he'd bought the last time he ventured to the store and was waiting till the very last moment before braving the unrest and turmoil of the city for another shopping spree. As it was, he was just paying for his purchases when a hostile argument started between the two mammals standing in line directly behind him and a knife was pulled out.

A smoky-gray jaguarundi had stepped in line behind a capybara moments before an unexpected sneeze caught the tall, slender cat by surprise. The large rodent didn't like the idea of a predator with his 'savage' germs sneezing on him and immediately started yelling at the poor feline. When the gray cat tried to apologize (to no avail), he then raised his own voice at the loud and overbearing rodent, to which the capybara pulled a knife out yelling that the cat was threatening him. Nick had grabbed his receipt and was making a beeline to the doors when the tall feline pushed the capybara backwards to get the knife out of her face.

The outraged rodent stumbled backwards into Nick, and upon realizing he'd fallen onto a 'filthy pelt' as he called the fox he'd knocked into, the rodent lashed out with the knife and caught Nick right under his ribcage. Nick didn't wait around for anymore abuse, but squirmed away from the smelly rodent (Nick swore the mammal hadn't bathed in over a week and was probably the cause of the feline's sneeze) with his bags in paw and was out the store door before several store employees could tackle the enraged capybara to the ground and wrest the knife from his hoof.

Upon reaching a spot where he could catch his breath (and moan at the stabbing pain in his back), Nick had called Finnick to come pick him up. There was no one else in the city he trusted to check out his injury as none of the clinics or hospitals would admit a fox at this point, not with all the savage attacks going on, coupled with all the injured coming through their doors from fights and mob beatings taking place. It had taken the small, desert fox half an hour to reach him, which meant there was a large pool of Nick's blood on the alley floor where he'd been waiting.

After getting loaded up, Finnick started the long process of cleaning him up (and complaining loudly about Nick bleeding all over his van), then gave his verdict on the damage done. The cut was deep and needed stitches, but Nick was lucky as the knife only cut muscle while missing his organs and arteries.

The downside—they had no one to stitch him up. There were a couple of street doctors they'd normally go to in case of an emergency, but they were all over-booked, so that avenue was closed to them. Finnick did the best he could to patch his friend up and changed the bandages and cleaned the wound the first few weeks, but Finnick had skipped town over a week ago, and so Nick had no one to look at it recently. It was mostly healed by now, anyway, so he wasn't too worried. But without it being stitched up, he knew that if he jerked too hard and in the wrong direction it could possibly reopen again—which was a strong possibility if a bunch of Judy's siblings decided to harass him and possibly get violent with him. He really wasn't looking forward to it, but he'd survived a lifetime of abuse and bullying already, so a week was nothing . . . _right?_

With a heavy sigh, he considered asking Gideon to look at his injury tonight. Bringing his attention back to the gray doe across from him, he watched Shaylee nod towards him before she said, "Okay, but give me your number so I can text you mine."

At Nick's surprise, Shaylee explained, "I told Mandy no one is to hurt you in their attempt to run you out of town. So if anyone gives you so much as a bruise, then the deal is off and I'm telling both Judy and my parents." At Nick's stunned but grateful nod as he pulled out his phone, Shaylee added, "Better yet, you can tell Judy yourself. I'll send you her number when I text you mine, that way you have a way to contact her if things get too bad or you start missing her too much."

Nick simply stared at Judy's sister, hardly believing what he was hearing. No one just gave information like this away, not without a lot of strings attached, and certainly not to a fox.

Seeing Nick's stunned expression, Shaylee smiled and asked, "So what's your number?"

Taking a deep breath, Nick said, "Um, it's ah . . ." Nick rattled off his number while sitting in a daze, completely unaware of what he was saying. Shaylee was just going to give_ him_ Judy's number? He would have that connection to her and could call her anytime he wanted? And Shaylee wasn't going to make him prove himself to her or make him wait to meet Judy before getting the number directly from her? Nick felt like he was in a surreal dream, but then the next moment his phone chimed letting him know he had a text message.

Still in a daze, he opened the message and found himself looking at a message from Shaylee, with Judy's number typed in at the end of the short message. Taking a deep breath as tears threatened to leak from his eyes, Nick read the number several times to memorize it, that way he'd still have it even if something were to happen to his phone. Judy had drowned his last phone after flushing them down that megafauna toilet, so he'd splurged on a waterproof phone this time. _But still_—anything can happen to a phone and he didn't want to take the chance of losing her number. Once he was sure he had Judy's number locked in his head, he quickly saved both Judy's and Shaylee's number.

Seeing Nick's watery expression, Shaylee's ears drooped as she realized that simple, little actions like this weren't something the fox was accustomed to. Wanting to do something else for the fox, and hoping to get the fox thinking more about Judy as a potential mate, she quickly pulled up her photo app, saying, "Here, I'll send these to you, too. I'm sure they'll help you get through the week better.

Nick looked up, then back down at his phone as another text message came in with a couple of photos attached. Opening the text, his eyes widened again as he saw two photos of Judy. The first one was of Judy stuffing her face with a large slice of veggie pizza while wearing the biggest grin on her face as her amethyst eyes sparkled with pride and happiness. The next one had his eyes popping as it was a picture of Judy in a brightly colored, flowery one-piece swimsuit that came with a little skirt hanging about her hips. The swimsuit had a black background that really made the brightly colored blue, purple, pink, and yellow flowers pop. She was holding onto a knotted rope while standing on the bank of a watering hole and had turned to look at the camera just before she was to jump off the bank and swing into the water. At least that was the impression he got from looking at Judy's grinning figure. And what a figure she had!

Nick had never looked at a female rabbit with any kind of interest before, but seeing Judy in that cute bathing suit that showed off her fit body and muscular legs, he couldn't deny how much he liked what he saw.

Shaylee watched the appreciation cross Nick's face and then explained, "I took these pictures after Judy graduated from the Police Academy a little over four months ago. We were having a pizza-slash-swim party to congratulate her on graduating and earning her badge." Nick nodded without looking up and Shaylee leaned over the table to see which picture Nick was ogling. Seeing Nick looking at Judy in her swimsuit, she settled back down on the bench and grabbed her drink. With a knowing grin, and feeling her work here was done—_Nick was obviously looking at Judy as more than just a friend_—Shaylee knew it wouldn't be long before the todd decided Judy was worth pursuing.

Taking a long sip of her shake that was mostly melted ice cream by now, she had a silly grin on her face. She couldn't wait for Judy to find out her love-interest was here in town looking for her. Mandy will be lucky if Judy doesn't bury her out behind the barn once she finds out Mandy was trying to drive Nick out of town while keeping knowledge of his arrival a secret. While trying to think of ways her siblings might try to accomplish their dumb plan of driving Nick from town, she suddenly sat up and asked, "Nick, did you ride the train to Bunnyburrow or did you drive?"

Nick glanced up and cocked his head slightly as his ears perked forward. "I drove. Why?"

The fact Nick drove peaked Shaylee's interest and she said, "Can I see your car?" Pausing, she then asked, "Is it a car?" Out here in Bunnyburrow, jeeps, trucks, and SUVs were the norm.

A wide grin spread across Nick's face and his tail began wagging. "A restored 1971 Triumph TR6 convertible."

Shaylee's jaw dropped, then she snapped her mouth shut and exclaimed, "Can I see it?"

With a grin, Nick replied, "I don't see why not." Motioning back down the road, he added, "It's parked behind the bakery." Slipping his phone back in his pocket as Shaylee did the same, Nick then grabbed his drink and stood up. Watching Shaylee skip ahead of him down the path, Nick took a long swig of his melted shake and grinned. If more of Judy's siblings were like Shaylee then he wouldn't have any problems here in Bunnyburrow. As it was—his smile slipped and his ears splayed back slightly—he would be lucky to survive the week without a bruise or two . . . or more. No matter what Shaylee said, he couldn't see her siblings trying to run him out of town without using force that would injure him to some degree.

With a heavy breath, Nick followed Shaylee back to Gideon's bakery, then around back to where she squealed in delight at seeing the classic black convertible. Hopping over to it, she ran her paws over the slick, shiny paint, looked through the glass windows at the restored faux leather seats and checked out the black tires with the reddish-orange stripe circling the chrome hubcaps—all while her tail was flicking a mile a minute in her excitement.

Nick grinned and wondered if Judy would have the same reaction. Would she want to take a drive down the country lane with the top down? He only knew her as a cop, so imagining her in any other compacity, especially in that eye-catching bathing suit Shaylee had sent him, left his mind wandering down strange—_yet exciting_—new paths.

As Shaylee continued to ogle the shiny black convertible, she said excitedly, "Nick, you have to take me for a ride."

Nick's grin widened and his tail began to wag as he replied, "Sure thing . . . right after I take Judy for a ride."

Shaylee's ears drooped for a moment as she glanced up from the restored antique vehicle, then her ears sprang back up as she met Nick's emerald gaze. "Right, Judy first." Taking a deep breath to rein in her excitement, she then said, "Okay, but I get the second ride."

Walking over to lean against the side of his car, Nick brought a paw up and scratched his chin, saying, "I don't know, Shaylee. I already promised Gideon a ride, too."

Shaylee's ears drooped again. "Third ride, then?" she asked with a slightly pleading look.

Nick watched her for a moment, then laughed. "If you don't mind riding with a couple of foxes, I'm sure Gideon won't mind you joining us for his turn."

Shaylee's ears popped back up as she clapped her paws together, saying, "No problems here. I'd love to share a ride with Gideon."

With a nod, Nick said, "Well then, you and Gideon can have the second ride—in the backseat because I'm sure Judy isn't going to be content with just one short ride."

Meeting Nick's grinning face, Shaylee laughed. "You're right about that one." Leaning towards the happily grinning fox while jabbing a finger at him, she added, "But you know what they say: The more the merrier."

There were many instances in Nick's past where _more_ definitely _wasn't_ merrier, but in this case, he had to agree with Shaylee. Chuckling as Shaylee turned back around to run her paws over the slick black paint again, Nick relaxed further against the side of his car as he watched the gray doe who reminded him so much of Judy, both in looks and personality.

Glancing back over at the grinning fox, Shaylee asked, "Can I get in?"

With a shrug, Nick replied, "Sure, why not?"

It didn't take Shaylee long to open the door and climb in behind the steering wheel, then roll down the window so she could rest her arm atop it. The car was sized for a fox, so she couldn't reach the pedals, but it didn't stop her from imagining herself flying down the highway in it. Shaylee knew where all the speed traps were, so she could easily avoid them. She'll tell Nick about them too, so he doesn't get a ticket for driving over the limit in those areas (a mile over will get you a ticket).

As she sat imagining the fun they'd have while driving around in this classic car—and thinking of the envious looks of those they pass by—a sickening realization hit her. Turning around to look out the window at her new fox friend, Shaylee said, "Nick, you have to hide your car."

With a start as this was the last thing Nick imagined Judy's sister saying, he asked, "What?" With his ears flicking back and his ruddy-colored tail-tip twitching with uncertainty, he asked, "What are you talking about?"

After repeating, "You have to hide your car," Shaylee climbed out and looked at Nick for a moment before turning back to the car. Waving at it, she explained, "Until you meet Judy and she beats the snot out of our siblings for harassing you and keeping it from her that you're here," she turned back to Nick, "you cannot let any of them know you have this car."

"Why?" Nick asked, even as several horrible ideas popped into his head that made his stomach twist at the unfairness of being a fox.

"Because if some of my specist siblings find out about it, and I won't name any names like Roger, or Jerry, or Deryll, they are going take your car joyriding through the hills and then probably crash it into some ditch or against a tree or something. And even if they don't crash it, they'll leave it vandalized in some other horrible way. It's making me sick just thinking about what they might do."

Nick's ears disappeared against his head and his tail slumped to the ground. Raising his paws, he rubbed his face. Having his car vandalized was a real fear he had in Zootopia, which is why he didn't take his car out very often when he was still there. He rode around in Finn's van, took public transport, or walked—more often than not, he walked. It was good exercise and kept him in shape. He had even set up an obstacle course in his grandfather's warehouse that he put himself through a few times a week just keep his reflexes sharp and open up his options to escape when things got bad.

Coming here to Bunnyburrow, he didn't think having his classic car vandalized would be a problem—crime rate was a lot lower out here in the sticks, wasn't it?

Dropping his paws, he looked at Shaylee and asked, "Seriously? They'd wreck my car?" At Shaylee's nod, he asked, "Aren't they worried about getting caught?"

"Well, there was some vandalism here right after Judy's speech four months ago, and the perpetrators were caught, so I'm pretty sure my brothers will make sure no one recognizes them and they'll probably block their scents. But even if they are caught, the damage will already be done, and they might consider it worth it if they thought if got you to leave."

Nick rubbed his face again then swiped his paws down through the air as he exclaimed, "And where am I supposed to hide a _car!?"_ If they were still in Zootopia, he could think of a hundred different places to hide the car, but they were in Bunnyburrow, where most mammals (and thus buildings) are much smaller and anything out of place would be more noticeable.

Before Shaylee could answer, the back door to the bakery opened and Travis walked out with a bag of trash to put in the dumpster. Seeing Nick, he immediately smiled and said, "Hey, Nick—" Seeing the gray doe with the black-tipped ears standing with the red todd, Travis did a double-take and exclaimed, "Judy!"

Nick shook his head, saying, "This is Judy's sister, Shaylee."

Confusion crossed Travis's face and he repeated, "Shaylee?" If Nick was looking for Judy, why was her sister here instead? Judy didn't refuse to see him, did she? This didn't sound like Judy, but why else would her sister be here and not Judy herself?

With smile, Shaylee waved at the confused ferret, saying, "Hey, Travis. How's work going?"

"It's going great," Travis said slowly as he just couldn't get his head wrapped around the fact that Shaylee was here and not Judy. Since Judy's sister obviously knew about Nick, then Judy should be here too, right? Looking between the two and seeing Nick's splayed ears and irritably twitching tell, Travis asked carefully, "Um, is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, just _peachy_," Nick scoffed sarcastically, while running his claws through his head-fur.

In answer to Travis's confused and worried gaze, Shaylee explained, "Nick needs to hide his car before any of my specist brothers find out he has it."

Travis gave a start as he looked to Nick, even as his worry spiked. Travis had already been worried that Nick would run into problems in meeting Judy depending on which of her brothers or sisters he ran into first, but to have to hide his classic car!? It was a beautiful machine which Travis had spent several minutes ogling when he first saw it, and he couldn't understand how anyone would want to hurt such a stunning classic.

Expanding on Shaylee's words, Nick leaned against the side of his car, crossed one paw over his chest and waving the other through the air, while saying, "Shaylee's and Judy's sister Mandy is convinced that I'm going to toy with Judy's emotions before running off again and leaving her in a worst mental state than she is now." Crossing his arm over his other arm, Nick flicked his ears and added, "So she and several of their brothers and sisters are going to try and run me out of town before Judy knows I'm here."

The bag of trash in Travis's paw hit the ground, even as his jaw dropped. "They're going to run you out of town!?" This was worst than he had imagined. He knew a lot of Judy's siblings didn't like foxes, but this was a bit extreme, wasn't it? Why would it matter if Judy met with the fox? If she really didn't like him, then she could kick him out of town herself.

Crossing her own arms and looking up at Nick with a raised eyebrow, Shaylee stated, "Well, I did offer to call Judy and tell her a certain somebody was here, but some fox said he wanted to suffer through it to prove some macho point."

Travis's eyebrows climbed his forehead in surprise while Nick rolled his eyes. Meeting Shaylee's gaze again, Nick said, "Look, Mandy doesn't think I'm worthy of Judy and I'm going to prove her wrong." At Shaylee's knowing smile at his words, Nick wagged his clawed finger at the gray doe while saying, "Not like _that_."

"Well, that's the only reason Mandy has for wanting to run you out of town." Shaylee couldn't help but smile with glee at Nick's desire to prove that he was worthy of Judy's affection. No matter what he said, she knew deep down in his heart that Nick was at least _considering_ a relationship with Judy. Now all Shaylee needed to do was to push him in that direction a few more times to get Nick to realize it for himself.

Nick rolled his eyes, then said, "Regardless of what Mandy or any of your siblings are thinking, I just want to prove that I'm serious about Judy and our relationship—," wagging his finger at her again, he added, "no matter what that relationship ends up being." At Shaylee's teasing smile and soft, _"Hmm-mm_," Nick changed the subject, saying, "And besides, I only have to deal with their bullying for a week at the most. I can handle a week." With a shrug, he added, "And who knows, I might run into Judy sooner."

As Nick reminded her of the abuse her family members might subject him to, Shaylee stepped closer to the tall red fox in front of her and jabbed him in the stomach while saying, "Yeah, well just remember, you have mine and Judy's number both, so don't you dare hesitate to call one of us if our siblings get too abusive. I told Mandy not a hair on your head is to be harmed, so you better tell me if they do."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Nick said while shooing her away. "I'll call."

"I mean it, Nick, not _one_ hair." At Nick's nod, Shaylee turned to Travis and said, "You and Gideon have to keep an eye on him. Nick seems the macho type to suffer even when he doesn't have to."

Travis nodded, but wasn't sure what to say. Shaylee and Nick's conversation just now was a bit confusing. What did Nick mean by _'whatever their relationship might be'?_ Weren't they just friends? And it seemed to him, that Judy's family was reacting to the fox's presence a lot worse than they should. And the fact Shaylee was here to help Nick was just as confusing. Her family was against the fox spending time with Judy, and yet Shaylee was here to help Nick do just that. Was she going to go against her whole family to see Nick has a chance to talk to Judy? And Shaylee had actually given Nick her number? Realizing what else Shaylee had given him, Travis exclaimed, "Wait!? Shaylee gave you Judy's number?"

Nick nodded as a smile spread across his face. "Not just her number, but also a couple of photos of Judy." Although neither of the smaller mammals could see it, the inside of both of Nick's ears were slightly red while remembering the second photo Shaylee had sent him. Judy really did have a stunning body.

Travis's jaw dropped again, and then he pointed at Shaylee, then over at Nick, and then back at Shaylee. Tilting his head, with his small ears flicking in confusion, he asked, "You gave Nick pictures of Judy?"

With a nod, Shaylee answered, "Well, since some dumb fox wants to put up with my specist siblings, I figured he could use something tangible to keep him going when things got tough. And if they go overboard on trying to drive him out of town, he can call Judy directly." With a smirk at Nick, she added, "Or if he decides he's missing her too much and simply can't wait any longer, he can call and talk to her."

Nick flicked his tail while wondering how many days he could last before caving in and calling Judy. He figured it would largely depend on how bad the specism and bullying went with her family. Turning his attention back to Travis, Nick said, "Anyways, I need to hide my car before some her brothers decide to crash it into something after a romp through the hills."

Travis looked between the fox and rabbit for a moment and had to agree—Nick needed to hide his car. As much as it pained and confused him (pained him that someone would do that to Nick for no other reason than he was a fox, and confused him as he still couldn't see how anyone could destroy such a stunningly beautiful machine), Travis knew that having some of Judy's and Shaylee's siblings vandalize the car was a very real possibility.

Scratching his chin while still looking between the two, Travis said, "Well, I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but I have an old tractor shed on my property that's piled full of old straw right now. We could hide it there—just cover your car with some tarps, then throw the straw over it. No one will ever know it was there." At the shocked gaze of both mammals, Travis flicked his ears back while realizing they might not trust a ferret, especially one known for theft. Dropping his paw, he quickly said, "If, if you need a place, I have it."

Nick and Shaylee looked at each other again then grinned. "Well, Nick," Shaylee said, "It appears you have a place to hide your car."

With a wider grin, Nick answered back, "It appears I do." With Travis's ears relaxing and a hesitant smile starting to spread across his face, Nick stepped up to the black-footed ferret and put his paw out, saying, "Travis, I would very much appreciate it if I could store my car at your place."

Taking the fox's paw, Travis grinned, saying, "We can take it out there after work ends today." Travis was feeling good that a fox like Nick, whom he'd just met, and even Shaylee—a Hopps' girl—would trust him to hide such an expensive vehicle at his place. Since meeting Tiffany and turning his life around, he'd been having a really hard time turning his image around in town. Since Gideon hired him here at the bakery, things had finally started looking up, but when growing up in a small country town like Bunnyburrow, it seemed no one ever remembered the good things you do and never forgot the bad you did.

Nick started to nod, but then Shaylee spoke up, saying, "We should wait till after dark to move it, then no one sees it leaving and my brothers will be none the wiser on where it went, even if they do find out you have it."

Nick and Travis glanced at each other, then back at Shaylee with a nod. Neither of them wanted it to get back to any of Shaylee's and Judy's specist siblings that such a classic car was hiding out at Travis's place, especially since he already had a bad reputation in town for bullying others and a teenage rap sheet for theft. If someone knew the car was sitting at Travis's, they could just 'liberate' it from Travis's place, and then claim the ferret stole it and with his history of theft, most of the town would believe it.

After making plans to meet back up at 10, Shaylee turned and ran her paw back over Nick's classic black car and felt bad they had to bury it under a pile of old straw for a week. It was such a beautiful machine, and it should be out in the light driving down an open highway, so it was a real shame to hide it in the dark under moldy straw in an old tractor barn.

Turning back to the fox and ferret standing beside her, Shaylee said, "I'm going to head home and see what Judy's up to. I'll see you boys tonight at 10." After waving to the todd and ferret, she slipped back down the alley towards her jeep while wondering what her sister was up to and wondering how long it would actually be before Judy found out about Nick being in town. She hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

Nick watched Shaylee leave, then turned back to Travis, saying, "I really am grateful to you, Travis, that you're letting me stash my car at your place."

"Ah, it's nothing, Nick." With a flick of one of his short ears, he added, "It's the least I can do." Turning around and stepping up to Nick's classic black automobile, Travis ran his paw over the shiny paint job while murmuring, "It'd be a real shame if anything were to happen to it."

Nick grinned as he walked over and picked up the bag of trash Travis had dropped. As he carried it over to the dumpster, he said, "I'll tell you what, Travis, once I meet up with Judy and we're able to pull the TR6 out of hiding, I'll take you and your wife for a spin in it." Turning back around after tossing the trash in, Nick added, "How does that sound?"

Travis's eyes lit up as he turned to meet Nick's bright green gaze. "You mean that? You'll really take me and Tiffany for a ride?"

"Of course," Nick said with a wave of his paw as he reached the car and once more leaned against its slick black side. "Call it payment for letting me store my car at your place."

Travis's eyes lit up further and he turned back to Nick's classic convertible and ran his paws over it again while imagining himself and his wife riding in the backseat, the wind whistling through their fur as they sped down the road with the top down.

Just then, the back door of the bakery opened up and Gideon stuck his head out, saying, "Hey, Travis, we got customers waiting for ya." Seeing Nick outside with Travis, Gideon waved. "Oh, hey, Nick."

Nick waved back even as Travis said, "Oh, sorry, Gideon. I got sidetracked." Hurrying back inside, Travis waved to Nick and said, "I'll see you after work."

"See ya," Nick said. As Travis and Gideon slipped back inside the bakery, Nick locked his car. He didn't think he needed to before, not with this being a small country town, but if Judy's siblings were intending to run him out of town, he didn't want to make it easier on them to steal and crash his car.

Once he made sure both doors were locked, he then turned and made his way back down the alley. If a bunch of specist rabbits thought it would be easy to chase him away from Judy, they had another think coming. As he didn't think Mandy or her other siblings would be up to much the rest of today (she was working the afternoon shift at her family's booth), Nick intended to use this time and after dusk to familiarize himself with the ends and out of Bunnyburrow, so when trouble appeared he could _dis_appear.

With a plan in mind, he vanished down the street as he set out to discover all the nooks and crannies of Judy's hometown.

...

As Judy and Patty-Mae rode past the Hoppersen's orchards, Judy gave Patty-Mae a rundown on her great-grandma's tragic love-story and why her grandma would give her, _and her alone_, her remote mountain cabin that very few even knew existed.

While watching the apple, peach, and pear trees passing on their left, and the various colored Australian fruit trees on their right, Judy explained how her great-grandmother Cecilia's best friend growing up was a male Animalian badger named Tyrel. Back during that time, prejudice against predators in Bunnyburrow was much worse as predators were largely segregated from the general population and were only allowed to work menial jobs.

This didn't matter to her great-grandmother as she enjoyed her time spent with Tyrel quite well, along with a few other predators (Tyrel's cousin, Tammy, 2 female bobcats, a female mink, and a male red wolf) and even preferred their company over that of prey species. Cecilia did have several rabbit friends, like Judy's great-grandfather, Stuart (whom Judy's father was named after), and a couple of does, but for the most part, Cecilia much preferred the company of predators. They were more open minded and didn't have the same stifling expectations of her that other rabbits did. (Rabbit does were expected to learn how to cook, sew, and clean as their only role in life was to have tons of kits and keep house for their husbands.)

Patty-Mae had given Judy a knowing look at hearing that Cecilia preferred the company of predators as she suddenly realized where Judy got her odd interest in predators from. Apparently, it ran in her family.

Judy merely shrugged at her friend's raised eyebrow and smirk while continuing on with her grandmother's tragic love story.

During her great-grandmother's time, most rabbit does were married off within a year of graduating high school, and so spent most of their spare time during high school making their wedding dresses, learning their domestic responsibilities, and adding items to their hope chests that they would need to furnish their home and start their own family with once they were married—items such as quilts, baby blankets, baby clothes, pots and pans, and other odds and ends.

At the same time, bucks would design and have a marriage choker made to present to his bride on their wedding day. The bucks from wealthier families made theirs in silver or gold, while those from poorer families had brass or copper marriage chokers. Many bucks had a high school sweetheart they planned to marry, while others, their parents arranged the marriage. But with so many more does reaching adulthood than bucks back then, many who weren't married to a high school sweetheart were married off as second wives to bucks already married.

Late summer-early fall was when a majority of the weddings took place, and with so many marriages taking place at once, there was always a shortage of priests to officiate all the ceremonies, in which case an elder buck from one of the families, usually the groom's, though occasionally the bride's, would stand in and preside. Besides the one to preside, there needed to be six witnesses—three for the bride and three for the groom. After the vows were exchanged, then the buck presented his marriage choker to his bride and slipped it around her neck, letting everyone who saw it know she was married. Once the ceremony was over, then their names, and the names of witnesses, were all written down in one of a dozen lapin marriage registration books, along with the names of the brides' and grooms' parents to keep track of the family lineage.

The marriage chokers had since been fazed out and wedding rings took their place, one for both the bride _and_ the groom. But back then, it was marriage chokers for the wives to show they had a husband—that they were _owned_ by a male.

Cecilia was no different than her sisters and other does in high school. She worked on her wedding dress and added to her hope chest, she hung out with her friends and especially Stuart and Tyrel. Everyone was sure Stuart would take Cecilia as his wife after high school, but unbeknownst to her family, she intended to elope with Tyrel on graduation night.

But their plans were forever destroyed on prom night their senior year, just a month shy of their graduation. Someone had spiked the punch with alcohol at the dance and so Cecilia and Tyrel became mildly intoxicated, which impaired their ability to think clearly enough to keep their taboo relationship hidden. Although they didn't do anything untoward at the dance, several mammals did see them sneak off together. And once they were alone, and with the alcohol flowing through their systems which neither of them were accustomed to, they had given in to their desire for one another and ended up falling asleep under the stars.

Cecilia's father was up waiting for her in the wee-hours of the early morning when she finally made it home—smelling nothing like a bunny and everything like a predator.

With a slump of her shoulders, Judy's ears drooped down her back as she whispered, "She never saw Tyrel or his family again. Once news got out of Cecilia's illicit relationship with the badger, especially after she vehemently denied being raped, Cecilia was locked up in her room while Tyrel and his family were driven from town—at least that's the official story of what happened to him and his family." Wiping at the tears that were starting to leak from her eyes at the unjust tragedy that befell her great-grandmother and Tyrel, Judy whispered faintly, "They were actually lynched and their bodies tossed in the marsh south of town."

With her own ears dropping down her back, Patty-Mae put a paw over her mouth while whispering sadly, "I'm so sorry, Judy."

Judy nodded sadly in return. "Yeah, so am I." Wiping at her eyes again, she added, "And so was my great-grandma."

"So what happened to Cecilia?" Patty-Mae asked softly as her own eyes misted over. "How did she wind up with your great-grandfather?" With a sniffle, she waited for Judy to finish her story.

Taking a deep breath, a hint of a smile tugged at her mouth as Judy murmured, "That was a huge blessing and quite the miracle." At Patty-Mae's questioning look, Judy continued her sad tale which could have turned out even more tragic for her grandmother if not her great-grandfather's huge heart.

Back in her great-grandmother's time, rabbit does were seen as property, first to their fathers and then to their husbands, and had very few rights as an individual. Even though the females' rights movement had already happened throughout much of the country, for an insular community like Bunnyburrow, they hadn't felt the full effects of it until Cecilia's kits were grown.

With a heavy sigh, Judy said, "Needless to say, her father was furious and couldn't stand the shame of having a doe living under his roof who had willingly sullied herself in the arms of a predator." With a heavy sigh as Patty-Mae listened in gloomy silence, Judy continued, saying, "My great-great-great grandfather was going to sell her off to the first buck who'd marry her—which happened to be one of the town's worst tyrants." Looking over at her friend, Judy asked, "Your family moved in just a couple of generations ago, right?"

At Patty-Mae's nod, Judy told her how, back in Cecilia's day, many bucks had more than one wife as more females were born and survived to adulthood than males, and although a large number of bucks still had only one wife, those who did have multiple wives usually had two or three. But the bucks with the greatest wealth and position in the community used the number of their wives as a badge of honor to boast about their wealth (only the wealthiest could afford a large number of wives). And after learning of Cecilia's tarnished reputation, ruined by a predator no less, the only buck willing to take her was Lester Moundigger, who only came into his wealth after oil was discovered on his property. His was a classic rags-to-riches story, and his sudden wealth went to his head as he became proud and greedy, making his already callous personality cruel.

He already had over a dozen wives, none of whom were treated well, when Cecilia was offered to him, and other than asking for a huge dowry to 'compensate' him on accepting 'sullied goods,' Lester agreed to take Cecilia off her dad's paws as Lester was always looking to add another wife to his harem for further bragging rights. And having another female in his bed, even a sullied one, was always a good thing in his opinion.

By this time in Judy's story, they had arrived at the Hoppersen's ranch house and both Judy and Patty-Mae waved to George as he still sat on the porch chewing on a long stock of grass. George waved back to them and then the two does turned from the long drive and toward the large bird barns to the right of the house. Patty-Mae's birds were kept in the second bird barn further back from the first barn, and Judy hoped to finish her tail by the time they arrived.

Meeting Patty-Mae's curious amber eyes, Judy said, "When my great-grandfather Stuart heard what her dad was planning, he immediately rushed over and offered to marry Cecilia himself. He even agreed to wave the whole dowry which immediately won Cecilia's dad over—he didn't want to pay a penny for such a shameless daughter." With a frown at her great-great grandfather's dealings with Cecilia, Judy shook her head and turned back to Patty-Mae, saying, "All Stuart wanted in the marriage was Cecilia's personal possessions, her hope chest, and her wedding dress. Cecilia hadn't finished it yet, so she wasn't able to wear it to hers and Stuart's wedding—they had a shotgun wedding the next day—but Stuart knew she had been making it in hopes of marrying Tyrel in it."

"He was willing to do that for her?" Patty-Mae asked in wonder. "Even after she'd slept with a predator?" Knowing how females were treated back then, she couldn't understand why a buck would take a female who, not only was known to have lain with another male, but who had the double stigma of being prey who had lain with a predator. That kind of shame would have had her stoned a few centuries earlier.

Judy nodded with a faint smile. "Stuart was best friends with Tyrel and they had both fallen for Cecilia. It was a friendly rivalry between them on who could win her love. So, when she gave her heart to Tyrel, Stuart wasn't about to get in the way of their happiness. He was even going to help them elope on graduation night, then take off himself while giving the impression that Cecilia had run off with him. Stuart wanted to give his two best friends the best chance of escaping the town by setting himself up as the target of any pursuit sent out to bring Cecilia back."

Patty-Mae sat gaping at the gray doe riding beside her. Talk about a love story of the ages, that a buck was willing to give up his own happiness to ensure the happiness of his best friend and the girl of his dreams. That just didn't happen—_ever!_ "He was going to do that? For your grandmother and his best friend!? A best friend who happened to be a predator!?" This was sounding more and more like a fairy tale and less and less like reality.

Studying the two large barns they were riding towards, Judy continued, saying, "Stuart's plan was to marry Cecilia the next night as her father had stipulated, then leave Bunnyburrow with her after graduation and track down Tyrel. Once they found him, he wanted his marriage to Cecilia annulled so Tyrel could marry her." With her ears drooping and her eyes starting to smart with tears again, she added, "You can imagine their devastation when they found out what really happened to Tyrel and his family."

Patty-Mae could only nod sadly. This was truly a tragic love story. If Stuart's large heart and love for Cecilia was the love story of the century, then Cecilia's and Tyrel's story was the tragedy of the century.

"With Tyrel gone, Stuart remained with Cecilia. He protected her and supported her, even though the rest of the family was against their marriage. They claimed his marriage to her—a doe tainted by a predator—shamed the family name." With a shrug, Judy explained, "Stuart and Cecilia still planned to eventually leave Bunnyburrow, but they no longer felt rushed and Stuart wanted to save up more money and actually plan out where they were headed and how he could support Cecilia and any kits they had."

With a paw over her heart as she listened to Judy's tale, Patty-Mae then asked, "So why didn't they?" With a shake of her head as she dropped her paw back down to the saddle horn, she clarified, "I mean, your family is still here."

Judy shrugged. "An epidemic hit the area that wiped out over half the rabbit population. The kits and teens were hit the hardest, but quite a large number of the adults also lost their lives." Passing the first barn on their way to the second barn, Judy added, "My great-great grandfather was among the deceased, and with Stuart being the oldest surviving son, the farm fell to him."

Glancing over to Patty-Mae, Judy explained, "Since Cecilia was shunned for having lain with a predator, and Stuart by association, they were living off the land in a small cabin on his family's property and so neither of them contracted the disease." With another shrug and a small smile, Judy added, "It was the silver lining in their plight and a bit of poetic justice, if you ask me, as the majority of the rabbits who were giving them the hardest time about Cecilia falling for a predator, along with almost all the bucks responsible for Tyrel's death, died in the epidemic."

Patty-Mae's jaw dropped and then she gave a snort. "Yeah, I guess that would be poetic justice."

With a wider grin, Judy replied, "Yeah, it was. And with a large majority of the most specist rabbits killed, the town's policies began to change, giving predators a larger voice and allowing them to have better jobs. Females' rights also improved and they were no longer seen as just property."

Patty-Mae nodded, but as they approached the second barn, Judy hurriedly finished her tale, saying, "Anyways, my great-grandmother never did get over Tyrel's death and frequently suffered bouts of depression. To help her, and to give her a place to escape to when the memories got too bad, my great-grandpa bought some land in the mountains west of town and built her a secluded mountain cabin. Very few mammals knew about it and fewer still knew where it was."

Taking a deep breath as the bitter-sweet memories washed over her, Judy added, "My grandma Cecilia started taking me out there each summer after I announced my decision to become a police officer." With a bright grin, she glanced at Patty-Mae and said, "She was my staunchest supporter and encouraged me to go after my dreams." As they reached the barn and stopped at the hitching post at the right of the large open doors, Judy finished her tale by saying, "Grandma Cecilia took me up to the cabin on my 15th birthday and gave me the deed to the property, along with a marriage choker."

With a grin and flick of her tail, Judy continued, saying, "Cecilia said her mom, Bernice, caught her making googly eyes at Tyrel one day, and he to her, but instead of calling her up for it, Bernice gave Cecilia an expensive Marriage Choker that had been in her family for several generations. It was a family heirloom that was meant to be passed on to the oldest granddaughter, but Bernice made an exception and gave it to her daughter. Bernice figured if Cecilia decided to run off with the handsome badger, she'd need a marriage choker seeing as a badger having a lapin marriage choker made would be a dead giveaway of what they were up to."

Patty-Mae's jaw went slack, then she exclaimed, "Bernice did that!? She didn't care if her daughter ran off with a badger!? A predator?"

Judy shook her head. "Bernice was a third wife and didn't like how rabbit does were treated in the community. She'd seen firstpaw how well Tyrel's dad treated his mom, along with the freedom female predators were given by their mates. Bernice wanted that same kind of devotion and freedom for Cecilia that was shown to the female predators in town." With her voice dropping to a mere whisper, Judy's mind returned to the marriage choker Bernice had given Cecilia and added sadly, "Turns out, Tyrel and Cecilia didn't need the marriage choker after all."

Patty-Mae was quiet for a moment, then said, "And your grandma Cecilia gave it to you because she thought _you_ might need it?"

Judy nodded. "She knew I had a lot of predator friends and assumed I'd follow in her footsteps and fall for one." A half smile touched her lips and she shrugged while saying, "I guess she was right."

Nodding, Patty-Mae said, "Even though specism has improved and inter-species relationships are gaining acceptance, a modern pred-prey marriage is still out of the question, so it's nice to know the old traditional wedding is still an option." At Judy's nod, Patty-Mae thought of the cabin Judy owned and added, "And I'm sure it's nice to know you have some place the two of you can disappear to for a while if things get rough. _Or_ you just want some peace and quiet from your huge, loud, _nosy_ family."

Judy chuckled while thinking about how a large number of her siblings thought they needed to put their nose in everyone else's business, nor did they believe in privacy (unless it was their own). "Yeah, we'll definitely need an escape from them if we want any peace and quiet." With a heavy sigh, her thoughts returned to her missing friend (hopefully still friend), and she added, "If I can even find Nick and if he'll even have me."

Patty-Mae gave Judy a sly smile. "Well, if he was willing enough to put his neck on the line for you when you were both attacked by a savage jaguar, and again when he willingly joined you in sneaking past a pack of gun-toting wolves, I'm sure he'll forgive you. He was probably speaking out of hurt and anger, but I'm sure he'll want to speak to you once his head cools down."

With another sigh, Judy said, "That's what Mandy said." With a shake of her head, Judy said, "Of course, Mandy thinks Nick's a _hare_ and I don't even want to know how she'll react when she finds out he's a _fox_."

Patty-Mae's ears drooped. "Yeah, I can see that turning badly. Mandy is one of those rabbits that thinks we should only be dating our own species."

"Yeah. She thinks rabbits and hares are the most attractive creatures out there and can't see how a rabbit would look at anyone else." With a chuckle, she glanced at Patty-Mae, saying, "She's all about the long ears and small, cottony tail. She's always going on about this buck's ears or that buck's tail." With a giggle, Judy added, "Sometimes I wonder if she's dating a buck for himself or for his ears and tail."

Patty-chuckled in return, as she could see Judy's point. Looking up at the barn they'd stopped at, the tan and black doe turned back to Judy and said, "Well, we're here. Now, should we go look at those birds?"

With a wide grin as her nose and tail twitched in excitement at the prospect of finally getting to see the birds, Judy said excitedly, "Yes. Let's."

* * *

**FYI:** The **Jaguarundi** is a very unusual cat, with a long slender body, shorter legs and a small flattened head with short rounded ears. This wild cat of South America, Mexico, and the American southwest, is often described as having a weasel-like appearance and is sometimes referred to as the 'otter-cat'. The Jaguarundi is closely related to the puma and is about twice as big as a housecat. They have some of the most variable colorations of wildcats with two main groups: a dark morph which ranges from black, brownish and greys and a paler red morph ranging from tawny yellow to a bright chestnut red. The darker morph is more often found in the wet jungle areas, while the lighter red morph is more often found in the drier climates.

**Badgers:** There are several species of badgers, and I'm basing Tyrel off the **American Badger**, the only badger in the western hemisphere. They have a dark and white face with a white stripe that starts at their nose and flows back down their neck and stops about their shoulders. Like all badgers, they have strong jaws, short powerful legs, and long front claws and are excellent diggers.

**Rabbit Epidemic:** For those of you who were wondering, the epidemic that wiped out a large number of rabbits in my story has nothing to do with the current coronavirus that is hitting us worldwide. There are actually a lot of different diseases and parasites that hit wild and domestic rabbit populations. The one in my story is based off the **rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV)** which was first recorded in the 1980's and spread through much of Eurasia, before jumping to Australia and devastating rabbit populations there. A new strain (**rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2—RHDV2**) emerged in France in 2010 and finally reached North America in 2018. Both the original strain and the new one are extremely infectious and remain in the environment up to 3 months. The new strain has decimated up to 60-70% of the wild population of rabbits in several areas.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the long chapter. I'm going to hopefully finish up Tuesday (in story) in two more chapters so we can start on Wednesday. We'll see, though. In the next chapter, we'll see what Shaylee gets up to while waiting for Judy to arrive home. Expect more plotting to get Nick to realize his true feelings for Judy. In the meantime, Judy will finally get to look at Patty-Mae's emus and hopefully pick one out.

Chapter 12: _Video Debut_, will post in 2 weeks. I hope you all stay safe and if you have any thoughts or comments, l would love to hear them.


	12. Chapter 12: I'm Curious

**FYI:** There's a bit of fluff discussed later in the chapter, so fair warning.

* * *

When Shaylee arrived home, she went looking for Judy, but she wasn't in her room, the great room, the library, or the kitchen. With her ears dropping, she made her way down to the kits' playroom. Seeing a large number of the young kits who made up the kerfluffle hopping around the playroom, giggling and squealing as they chased each other around, or played with their toys, Shaylee smiled to see their exuberance. There were even several kits making a huge block tower. Others (mostly does) were watching _Tangled_ on a large screen tv at one end of the room, while a bunch of other kits (mainly bucks) were watching _Robots_ on a large screen tv at the other end of the room.

Stepping further into the room, Shaylee looked around until she saw several of her older nieces who were watching the kits, along with 2 of her sisters and one of her brothers. Walking over to them, she gave a short wave as she said, "Hi, guys, how's it going down here?"

Her sisters, Brooklynn (who was a tan-colored rabbit with a creamy muzzle and white paws who loved sketching and quilting) and McKenzie (a light-brown rabbit with black ears and a black streak down her face that covered her muzzle and who enjoyed writing children's stories), along with her brother, Trenton (a dark-tan buck with a black stipe that started at his chin, traveled up his face and all the way down his back to his black twitching tail, and who happened to be the bowling champion in the family), all looked at each other and shrugged, even as Shaylee's older nieces and most of the kits perked their ears and eyes towards her. Giving Shaylee a curious look over, McKenzie answered, "Not much. Just trying to keep our sanity—"

"And our hearing," Trenton interrupted while pulling his dark-brown ears down to protect the sensitive ear canal.

"—and our _hearing_," McKenzie agreed, "while watching the kerfluffle."

Shaylee looked around at the mostly quiet kits. Although there was definitely some squealing and giggling, it was at a manageable hum. "Oh, come on, they're not that bad."

Stepping towards Shaylee, Trenton released his ears and jabbed a finger towards her while saying, "You're only saying this because you weren't here an hour ago." Grabbing his ears and pulling on them again, he exclaimed, "It was a complete war-zone in here."

Brooklynn chuckled at their brother's theatrics. Waving a white paw through the air, she said, "Well, it was pretty noisy in here until we put the movies on."

Shaylee looked at both movies again, then twitched her gray tail while saying, "Sounds like the kits need a trip outside if they got that wild."

They all agreed, and then McKenzie flicked one of her black ears and said, "Once the movies are over then we'll switch with the group outside."

Shaylee nodded, then clasped her paws behind her back. With her ears perked forward, she rocked forward on her feet and asked, "So, has anyone seen Judy today?"

McKenzie and Brooklynn glanced at each other, then shook their heads before turning to their nieces and the kerfluffle. There was series of 'nope' and 'not me' and 'eh huh' and then Trenton scratched his black chin and said, "Well, I didn't see her. But I overheard Lucas and Randy talking about how Judy's body must have been snatched by aliens last night."

"Huh?" Shaylee, McKenzie, and Brooklynn all echoed.

Trenton nodded as he scratched his chin again. "Yeah. They were going on about how weird Judy was acting this morning." Three pairs of inquisitive ears perked in his direction and he said, "Apparently, she had gone on a long night ride last night, then got up late this morning and saddled up and left again. Said she was going to be gone most of the day."

Shaylee's jaw went slack as this was unexpected. "Really?"

Trenton nodded. "That's what they said." Tilting his head slightly, he scratched his head, adding, "Judy didn't give a reason, either. Just said she felt like it. That convinced Lucas and Randy that Judy had been snatched by aliens, like in that movie we watched in high school, _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_."

All three does rolled their eyes at the bucks' idiocy, but then Shaylee said, "Well, if she went riding, then I guess I should hang out in the barn till she gets back." Pulling out her phone and looking at the time, she added, "It's late enough in the afternoon that she should be getting back anytime now."

Brooklynn and McKenzie nodded in agreement, then Shaylee said goodbye and made her way outside to the bird barn. Climbing up into the loft she burrowed into the loose straw used as bedding for the birds, then pulled out her phone. Remembering how Nick looked when she'd sent him the two pictures of Judy, she wanted to go through her photos and pick out a few more to send him. Or . . . maybe she should make a video or two of Judy and show them to Nick. If she wanted Nick to see Judy in a romantic light and as the perfect mate, then he needed to see her sister as she is now. And maybe she could get Judy talking about Nick, so he'll know without a shadow of a doubt that she's in love with him.

With a plan in place, Shaylee settled more comfortably into the straw while waiting for her sister to show for her video debut. With a smile, Shaylee figured she should suggest Nick make some videos of his time here, too. That way her sister will be able to see what he's been up to while they were apart.

In the meantime, Shaylee decided to make a few music videos using the pictures she had of Judy while waiting for her to show up. If Nick saw enough pictures of Judy, maybe he'll give up on this stupid game with Mandy and just call Judy.

...

As Judy and Patty-Mae skirted the barn to the corral, Patty-Mae put her fingers to her mouth and a gave a piercing whistle. Judy slapped her paws over her ears and wished her friend had given her some warning. As she dropped her paws and looked out, at first nothing happened, but after a moment, Judy heard a low hum on the breeze that quickly built in volume, and then she felt the ground vibrate beneath her. With her ears perking in surprise, she looked to the pasture beyond the corral, where a flock of emus topped a small rise and thundered towards the corral.

Flowing into the corral through the open gate, the flock of emus stopped in front of the fence where she and Patty-Mae were standing. Judy was flabbergasted as none of the birds her family owned ever came when whistled. Some would come if they saw you had treats, but most would stand around and let you come them. But there were also several that made you chase them around the pasture if they weren't already trapped in the corral.

Judy was extremely glad Pebbles was one of the ones that let her walk up and halter her without putting up a fuss. Looking at Patty-Mae as she bent down and slid between the rails of the fence and into the corral where the birds waited, Judy exclaimed, "You trained them to come when you whistle!"

Patty-Mae glanced over her shoulder as she began petting several of the birds and said, "Of course, it's the only way to do it." Turning back to the light brown female she was petting, even as she reached over to pet another one, she added, "But you have to start when they're young or it takes twice as long to train them."

Judy nodded as she entered the corral herself, even as she began petting the birds as she looked for one that caught her fancy. If Patty-Mae already had them trained, then she wouldn't have to take the time to train them herself which meant she could apply for the Search and Rescue that much sooner. While wandering through the flock of female emus, Judy asked, "So how do you train them?"

Patty-Mae grinned. "Food." As Judy glanced over, the tan and black doe said, "At first, I just whistled whenever I fed them so they would associate the sound with being fed. When they got a little older and I started training them to halter, I only fed them after they let me halter them. This way, they came when I whistled and didn't fight me about haltering them. Now it's just second nature to them."

Judy looked over in surprise, but she immediately saw the value of Patty-Mae's training method. She had never had much to do the training of her family's birds, they were either already trained when they got them, or some of her brothers broke them to the saddle. Maybe she should suggest this training method to her siblings who worked with the birds. Especially when it came to the Dodos. They especially liked being chased whenever you wanted to halter them for riding. They were fine once you were in the saddle, but they were always stubborn about being caught and they had a bad tendency to wander off if they weren't tied up once you got out of the saddle.

Looking through the light-colored females, Judy realized that most of the females were quite a bit bigger than the island emus she was accustomed to. Not as large as the Tasmanian or Mainland emus, but still larger than the Kangaroo Island emus her family owned. Turning to her friend, Judy asked, "Are you . . . _breeding_ . . . them to be larger?"

With a wide grin and twitch of her cottony tail, Patty-Mae replied proudly, "As a matter of fact, I am." As Judy ran her paw over the fluffy side of one of the larger medium-brown emus, Patty-Mae explained, "We have birds around here for the small mammals—rabbits, prairie dogs, minks, ferrets, and the smaller fox species—but not many birds are fit for the larger small mammals and smaller larger mammals—red wolves, coyotes, bobcats, lynxes, the medium sized sheep and deer species—so I figured I'd start breeding them." Looking over the flock, Patty added, "It's taken me nearly a decade to get them this big, but it's been worth it."

Judy nodded as she looked over the flock in appreciation. It really was amazing.

Seeing the awe in Judy's gaze, Patty-Mae said, "If you think this is great, you should see the males." As Judy looked over, Patty jerked her head towards the other side of the barn where the male emus were waiting in the adjoining corral which covered the other half of the large barn.

Wading through the female flock, Judy stepped past them and then her jaw dropped at the sight of the males. Although they were about the same size as the females, these males had the darker brown and black backs of the Island emus, but also the striking white, fluffy neck and chest of the Dwarf emus. Dwarf emus which were much too small to be the emus she was currently looking at. "You bred the Dwarf emus bigger!"

Patty-Mae's grin grew bigger as she explained how she started with the largest Dwarf emus, then bred them with the largest Island emus. After getting a good stock of the larger Dwarf/Island emus with the fluffy white chest, she started breeding them with the smaller Tasmanian emus. Now she had a large flock of the larger emus with the fluffy chest, along with larger females that hatched in the same clutches as the males.

"Wow," Judy murmured when Patty-Mae got done explaining how she got the large flock of birds. "What are you calling them?"

"Well," Patty-Mae started, "Since their white necks and chests come from the Dwarf emus from King Island, and they're now much larger than both the Dwarf and Island emus they were bred from, I'm calling them King emus."

Judy nodded as she walked among the tall emus with the fluffy white chests that reminded her a lot of Nick and his fluffy white chest. While walking through them, she spotted one of the smaller males. Still big for a Dwarf or Island emu, but still small compared to the rest of the birds. In fact, he looked just the right size for Nick to ride. With Nick being a red fox, he was slightly big for a typical Island emu. Although he'd still be able to ride one, Judy knew he would look and feel more comfortable on a larger bird. And this one would be a perfect fit for her fox friend.

Walking over to the smallest of the King emus, Judy clicked her tongue at it as she put her paw out for the bird to sniff. He watched her for several moments, seeming aloof, and then finally dipped his head to sniff Judy's paw. As the bird lifted its head back up above Judy's own while again looking around aloofly, Judy took a step closer to the emu and ran her paws through its thick, white, hair-like feathers. They definitely reminded her of Nick's furry chest and made her wonder what it would be like to run her fingers through Nick's fur. Realizing where her thoughts had automatically jumped to, Judy dropped her now red ears and turned back to Patty-Mae, asking, "What about this male?"

Patty-Mae looked the smaller bird over, then said, "Well, he's a good bird. He's fast and agile while staying alert, and he doesn't fight you when you ride him. But he's too small for me to breed so I've been thinking of selling him." With a shrug, Patty-Mae said, "But I'm still not sure. For an emu, he has personality and is fun to ride, so I don't know."

"I'll buy him," Judy immediately said.

Patty-Mae's ears perked up at Judy's statement. "You sure you don't want a female or one of the smaller Island emu males?" Although Patty-Mae was primarily breeding King emus, she still had several Dwarf and Island emus that came from her breeding stock.

Turning back to the male she was looking to buy, Judy explained, "I'll take a female for myself, but this male reminds me of Nick with his thick, white chest." Glancing over her shoulder at her new friend, Judy added, "And this male is the perfect size for Nick to ride, too."

Patty-Mae's nose twitched in surprise. Not so much that Judy wanted to by the male emu, or even that she wanted to buy two emus. No, what surprised her was that Judy was willing to buy Nick an emu, even when there was no certainty that she would ever see him again, or that he would even want the bird even if she did somehow meet him.

With her nose still twitching, Patty-Mae realized that if Judy was willing to put so much time, effort, and money into a future with Nick that might never come to pass, then there really was no hope of her ever looking at another male. Nick had become the center of Judy's world and everything she did now revolved around him, whether he was here or not. When Judy said she would take Nick as her mate, she really meant it. With a flick of her tail, Patty-Mae wondered if this is what you would call a soulmate?

And with as much effort as Judy was putting into the relationship even before she met Nick again, Patty-Mae had a hard time believing that Nick wouldn't eventually grow to share her friend's feelings. Especially if they truly were soulmates.

Feeling sorry for her brother for missing the dating boat with Judy, Patty-Mae turned her attention back to Judy. "Well, I don't mind selling him to you. And if you buy two birds, I'll give you a discount."

"Really!?" Judy asked excitedly. She hadn't originally planned on buying two birds, so she wasn't sure she would have enough money. She had her savings she was using, but she didn't want to clean it out, so hearing she'd get a discount helped put her mind at ease.

Patty-Mae nodded, then watched Judy turn back to the male emu and rest her cheek against his fluffy white chest. With a smile, Patty-Mae asked, "So do you have a name for him yet?"

Judy glanced over her shoulder and asked, "You haven't name him?"

Patty-Mae shook her head, saying, "No. For the birds I plan to sell, I leave it up to the new owners to name them." Walking over and running her paw down the male's fluffy neck, she added, "With this one, I wasn't sure whether I was going to keep him or not, so I've just been calling him Shorty as a nickname."

Judy nodded, then stood back to get a good look at the bird who was tall (to her), yet short compared to the other male emus. Tilting her head in thought as her tail flicked behind her and her nose twitched slightly, she then said, "I'll name him JD." Glancing over at her friend, Judy explained, "That's short for Junior Detective."

"Junior Detective?" Patty-Mae questioned. It was strange name, but she was fairly certain it had to do with Nick somehow. And Judy confirmed her suspicions a moment later.

"While Nick was helping me with the case, I_ might_ have called him a junior detective at one point."

Watching Judy's ears drop to her back, Patty-Mae giggled. "I bet he _loved_ that."

"Yeah, uh, _no_." With a giggle herself, Judy turned back to JD. "He actually did joke about it, though." With a smile, she ran her paws once again through the fluffy, hair-like feathers that covered JD's white throat and chest. Leaning forward, she rubbed her face into the bird's fluffy chest, then immediately pulled back to sneeze as dust from the emu's feathers tickled her nose.

Patty-Mae grinned as she grabbed a halter and lead rope from the barn and returned to Judy's side.

Judy shook her head and sneezed again, then grumbled, "Ug, I'm glad Nick's chest fur isn't all dusty like this."

Handing the halter to Judy, Patty-Mae's ears perked up. "Oh, are you speaking from experience?" she hummed in curiosity as she leaned closer to the gray doe beside her.

Judy's ears immediately flushed a dark pink as she said, "Well, sort of."

Patty-Mae's titled her head, saying, "What do you mean, _sort of?"_ With a twitch of her nose and a teasing grin, she added, "Come on, out with the juicy details."

With an embarrassed smile, Judy said, "Well, it was after I flushed us down that megafauna toilet and we wound up in that huge pool of water. It was the middle of the night by that time, the air was chilly and then coming out of that cold water!" Judy shivered at the memory. Continuing with her story, she explained, "I called for backup once we got on dry land, but then we had to wait almost an hour for them to arrive—we were that far out from city center. We found a log to sit on, but while we were waiting, I started shivering. Pretty badly, too."

Pausing while remembering how protective Nick was of her, she said, "So Nick took his shirt off and twisted it to wring the water out of it, then put it around my shoulders to try and cut back on the wind-chill." Taking a deep breath while remembering what Nick did next, Judy explained, "Then he put his arms around me and pulled me to his chest before wrapping his tail around me."

Patty-Mae's full attention was on her friend as she tried to imagine what it was like for Judy to be held in the red fox's arms. Judy and Nick had just narrowly escaped being locked up like the savage predators, and then for Nick to treat her so caringly afterwards. Not many mammals would do that, especially towards a cop who was blackmailing them.

Judy rubbed her arms while remembering how strong Nick's arms felt. "I felt really safe and comfortable in his arms, and it wasn't long before my shivering stopped and I started feeling warm again." Closing her eyes, she hugged herself while imagining it was Nick's arms still around her. With a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes as her ears drooped. "But the dumb bunny that I was, I didn't even stop long enough to appreciate it." Waving a paw through the air, she continued, "I just thought it was nice and then my mind immediately jumped to the case, and how all those savage mammals were being locked up by the mayor and wondering what it all meant."

Rubbing her paws over her face in frustration, Judy continued, "A lot of my aunts and uncles always told me to slow down and take time to stop and smell the roses, to appreciate the little things in life, or I was going to miss out on important moments, but I always had my goals to accomplish and so I never listened." Pulling on her ears, she looked at Patty-Mae and said, "I was so _stupid!_ I was in Nick's arms and all I could think about was the stupid case. A case I couldn't do anything about until backup arrived!"

Patty-Mae reached over to pat her shoulders, but Judy rolled over and leaned against JD's fluffy side. Rubbing her paws over her face again, she sniffled as tears started to gather in her eyes as she groaned, "And then after the press conference, when he bared his teeth and claws at me to show my distrust of him, I . . . I . . . I felt so scared in that moment. And it was completely stupid. Nick would never hurt me. He showed me how much he cared about me, how safe I was with him, and I . . . I . . ." With slumped shoulders and drooping ears, she muttered into her paws as tears slid down her cheeks, "I hate myself. I really hate myself. And I can't get his look of hurt and betrayal out of my head. Most nights it haunts my dreams."

Patty-Mae stepped over to Judy and pulled her into her arms, saying, "It's going to be all right. You'll meet him again, I'm sure of it. And when you do, you can properly explain all this to him and show him how much you really trust him."

Judy sniffled as she hugged Patty-Mae back. "I hope you're right. I really hope you're right."

"Of course, I am. Nick didn't risk his life to help and protect you if he didn't feel something for you." Stepping back, Patty-Mae met Judy's watery gaze and said, "Now come on, let's get JD out of the flock and look for a female bird for yourself."

Judy nodded and wiped her arm across her eyes. When she could see clearly again, she slipped the halter and lead rope over JD's head and led him to the gate and into the barn. Tying him up to hitching post inside the barn, Judy followed Patty-Mae back into the corral where the females waited.

While watching Judy wander through the flock looking at the lighter colored females, many of which were much larger than she was, Patty-Mae wondered what Nick would think if he could see Judy now. She also wondered more about Judy's cabin. If it was deep in the mountains, when was the last time Judy had been there? Was it even still habitable?

"Hey, Judy," Patty-Mae spoke up, "when was the last time you were at your grandma's cabin?"

Judy looked up from one of the smaller females she was considering, this one with light grayish-brown feathers mixed with darker highlights. Answering her friend's question, she said, "Oh, it's been a good five or six years now."

Patty-Mae's ears dropped, but before she could state the obvious, Judy's own ears dropped and she groaned, saying, "What if the roof started leaking and the floor's all rotted now?" She'd been so focused on getting her college degree and getting into the ZPA after graduating high school that she hadn't given her grandma's cabin hardly a thought. Especially since she wasn't interested in any males, prey _or_ predator, at the time.

Patty-Mae nodded, then, after a moment's thought, her ears perked back up, and she said, "Well, if you want to go out there and make any repairs, I'm game." At Judy's surprised look, Patty-Mae added, "Well, I am curious about this cabin your grandma left you. And I'm sure my boyfriend, Joey, will jump at the chance to go camping in the mountains. He's pretty good at making repairs on the barns and fences, so I'm sure he'll be a big help with fixing the cabin up." With a grin, she added, "And if you're okay with it, and if Ryan is fine with being friend-zoned, he's a right, good handyman. He's helped with the plumbing and electrical at our ranch, and he's pretty good at carpentry, too. So, no matter what kind of repairs we might need to make, he'd be a good one to have with us."

Judy's ears perked up. "Are you sure?" Knowing she wasn't alone and that there was someone else supporting her and her desire to pursue Nick, took a huge weight off Judy's shoulders.

With a grin, Patty-Mae replied, "Of course." With a flick of her tail, she added, "And it's been too long since I got the chance to visit the mountains. We can even take JD and whichever female you pick and test out their surefootedness in the mountains. I'd hate to sell you a couple of birds for the Search and Rescue, and then find out they're useless in the mountains."

Judy nodded. "That's a really good idea." Glancing over the flock of females she was standing among, she added, "If I'm buying them to use in the mountains, it's best to know how they handle in the rough terrain."

Patty-Mae, nodded, saying, "Ryan helped me brake JD, so he can ride him while we're up there and you can see how he handles." Judy nodded and while she moved on to look at a few other females, Patty-Mae said, "We can go this week if you want. If there _is_ damage done to your cabin, the sooner we get there the sooner we can start fixing it up and the sooner we can prevent further damage."

A wide smile spread across Judy's face as she ran her paw over the fluffy feathers of one of the female emus and her other paw down the neck of another emu. "That's sounds wonderful. I'm meeting with Bobby Cutmaul and his family tomorrow night for dinner, but we can leave first thing Thursday morning if that works for you."

Patty-Mae thought for a moment, then said, "Ryan is signed up for the barrel racing at the rodeo, but he doesn't need to be there till Saturday afternoon, so if we leave Thursday morning, we can stay through Friday and leave first thing Saturday morning. We can then make a list of anything still left to be fixed and the supplies needed, and then return next week once the rodeo's over."

Judy nodded as she remembered watching Ryan and his brothers practicing the barrels when she'd stopped by earlier looking for Patty-Mae. "That's sounds like a plan to me."

"Good." With a grin, she moved to stand next to JD while Judy finished looking the flock of females over. After a few minutes of watching Judy move through the flock, Patty-Mae walked over to a barrel sitting against the wall of the barn and reached in to grab a small bucket of prunes, then returned to JD's side and began feeding him the dried fruits. He chirped and preened at the attention and tasty treats, and Patty-Mae grinned at his greedy desire for the dried fruit.

As JD finished the bucket of prunes, Patty-Mae turned her attention back to Judy. After a moment, her curiosity got the better of her. Speaking up, she asked, "So, Judy, I'm curious."

Judy glanced through the throng of birds, her ears perked forward and her nose twitching in curiosity. "About what?"

"Well," Patty-Mae started, "you fell in love with Nick, who's a predator, and you hope to take him as your mate, correct." At Judy's nod, Patty-Mae continued. "And your great-grandmother also fell in love with a predator and _did_ take him as her mate."

Judy's ears turned a dark shade of pink and dropped down her back as she had a sinking feeling she knew what her friend's question might be.

"Well, since your grandma thought you might also fall for a predator, did she ever give you any advice as to what it's like being with a predator?" Patty-Mae asked, then gave a silent laugh while watching her friend's flustered expression.

Judy's ears turned a dark shade of pink, as did her nose and cheeks, even as she turned her attention back to the emu she was looking over. "Does it matter?" she asked in embarrassment as she remembered the one time her Grandmas Cecilia talked about that night with Tyrel.

"Well," Patty-Mae stated, "if you plan to take Nick as your mate, isn't it something you need to think about? Predators do things a bit differently than us prey. With all your predator friends, I'm sure you've seen how they like to lick and nip their mates in a show of affection. That's not something us rabbits do, so I was just wondering if your grandma mentioned Tyrel doing anything else that's uniquely predatory."

Judy didn't answer as her ears turned bright red which caused Patty-Mae's ears to perk forward and a teasing grin to spread across her face. With a final pat to JD, she slipped back through the fence railing and into the corral. As Judy was studiously ignoring her, Patty-Mae slipped up behind the gray doe and surprised her by popping up over her shoulder (with Patty-Mae being a jackrabbit, she was a bit taller than Judy). "So, what juicy details did your grandma tell you?"

Judy jumped at the sudden appearance and voice of her friend. With a paw over her rapidly beating heart, she turned to Patty-Mae with her nose twitching a mile a minute. With a deep breath, she tried to calm down, then said, "What does it matter? You're dating Joey and hoping to marry him, so why do you want to know what predators do?" Although Cecilia hadn't given much detail of her one night in Tyrel's arms, and with much of what Cecilia said sounding like Greek to her younger self, Judy now had a better idea of what her grandma was talking about . . . And it had Judy's ears, nose, and cheeks bright, candy-apple red, especially since she couldn't stop her own curiosity from wondering what it would be like if Nick tried the same trick on her.

"Oh, come on, I'm burning up with curiosity! You're prey wanting to snuggle up to a predator! Furthermore, you're following in the footsteps of your great-grandma! How can I not be curious?" Rocking forward on her toes with her paws behind her back, Patty-Mae continued, "And besides, it might be fun to try with Joey once we get married." With a wide grin, she added, "Who knows?"

Judy was quiet for a moment as she ran her fingers through the emu's feathers she was standing beside. "Well, I was about 13 or 14 when my grandma mentioned that night, and she was pretty vague about the details so they didn't make a lot of sense to me. At that time, I had absolutely no interest in males, and ignored the gossip of my older sisters, so I was clueless as to most of what my grandma was talking about." Waving her paws through the air, Judy continued, saying, "Anyways, it all started making sense when Jasmine Tigre married Jason Tiggersen." Pointing to Patty-Mae, Judy said, "You know who they are right?"

Patty-Mae nodded. She was familiar with the tigers as Jasmine's brother Tony had recently bought several of her largest emus from her. He was buying them for his teenage boys and the fluffy white chests of her male emus really appealed to the tiger family.

Judy nodded, then continued her story, saying, "I attended her bridal shower, and then when she returned from their honeymoon to Pawaii—I would love to go there one day—a bunch of us got together to hear how the honeymoon went." With bright eyes while imagining what Pawaii would be like, she continued, "Jasmine mostly talked about the sights and the mammals there." Grabbing Patty-Mae's arm as her ears popped up and perked forward, she added, "They got to walk along the black sands of Punaluu beach on the main island of Pawaii!"

Patty-Mae chuckled at Judy's excitement and had to admit, a vacation or, better yet, a _honeymoon_ to Pawaii would be quite enjoyable. "That would be really awesome, but you're stalling again." Looking at Judy with a raised eyebrow, Patty-Mae watched Judy's ears turn bright red again before falling back down her back.

"Right." Taking a deep breath, Judy began walking back through the flock of emus as she continued her story. "Okay, so during the get-together, Saline was there." Turning to meet Patty-Mae's gaze, Judy asked, "You know Saline from the diner, right?"

Patty-Mae's grin grew. "Of course, I do. She's always fun to talk to whenever I eat at Grandma's Diner." Everyone in town shortened the name of Grandma Hopps's Down Home Cookin to Grandma's diner, or just 'The diner'. It was a favorite place to eat in town and everyone knew the waitresses there, especially Saline, as she was friendly with everyone and, although she was a small roe deer, she didn't treat predators any differently than she did prey.

"Yeah, so, Saline was just as curious as you are about the differences between prey and predator . . . _mating_ . . . rituals, I guess you could call them."

"Okay," Patty-Mae asked, "so what did Jasmine say?" Her ears were perked forward and her nose was twitching slightly in curiosity.

With a nod and twitch of her tail, Judy said, "Well, Saline merely asked what Jasmine enjoyed most during the wedding night besides, you know, the actual _act_."

Patty-Mae followed closely on Judy's heels as she wandered through the flock and back towards the grayish-brown female she was looking at earlier. "_And?_ Go on."

"Yeah, so, Jasmine told us about this . . . _thing_ . . . Jason did with his tongue." Judy's nose was twitching like crazy while remembering Jasmine's answer to Saline's question, even as she now understood what her grandma was hinting at all those years ago.

"His tongue?" Patty-Mae asked, flabbergasted. "Besides kissing, what's there for a male to do with his tongue?" she asked. She knew what a doe could do for a buck, but nothing else that a buck would do for a doe. Bucks liked mouth to mouth while using their paws to explore their doe's body. Of course, she knew felines and canines, and maybe a few other mammals, liked to lick their mates, but she didn't think Judy was talking about licking. "I mean, I know predators will lick their mates, but what else is there to do with their tongue?"

Judy's tail twitched, "Um, it is licking, sort of, in a way, I guess." She'd never heard of any rabbit bucks doing this for any of her sisters. Although she didn't listen to her sisters' gossip about their mates and romantic exploits, in a warren full of so many rabbits, there's a lot of things you can't avoid hearing about.

Patty-Mae stared at Judy for a moment in utter confusion. "What do you mean 'sort of' and 'in a way'? How can you be 'sort of' licking?"

Judy twiddled with some of the long feathers of the grayish-brown emu she was considering buying, then turned back to her friend. After a moment's hesitation, Judy stood on her tiptoes and whispered into Patty-Mae's ear.

Patty-Mae's eyes widened as a paw flew up to cover her mouth. With bright red ears that dropped down her back, Patty-Mae exclaimed, "Are you serious!? They do that!?"

Judy merely shrugged. "Well, felines and badgers apparently do and both Jasmine and Cecilia had rave reviews about the experience."

It took Patty-Mae several heartbeats to get her head wrapped around the information Judy had just relayed to her. This was way different than anything a male rabbit or hare would do for a doe. But then Judy spoke up again and derailed her train of thought—_again_.

Glancing down as she considered what her grandmother and friend had told her, Judy looked down the end of her nose and muttered, "I think it has to do with their long tongues." Sticking out her tongue and touching it briefly, she mumbled, "I don't think our small lapin tongues would work very well, and there's no way they could give the full affect."

Patty-Mae's eyes widened further at Judy's comment, even as she watched her gray and white friend looking down at her small tongue in thought. Guessing where, or rather, _who_ her thoughts were on, a smirk crossed Patty-Mae's face as she bent down slightly and said, "And since Nick is a red fox he must have a nice long tongue, no?"

Without looking up, Judy nodded as she was trying to compare her tongue to Nick's. With such a small tongue, would Nick even be impressed if they kissed? Wouldn't he prefer a female with a better tongue than hers? With these somewhat negative thoughts running through her head, she answered Patty-Mae's question without thinking. "The first day I met Nick, he was eating a popsicle and he definitely had a nice, long tongue."

With mischief dancing in her amber eyes, Patty-Mae clasped her paws behind her back and leaned down till she was eyelevel with Judy and said, "A long tongue you want him to _taste_ you with?"

Even though she had an errant thought earlier about what it would be like for Nick to do for her what Tyrel had done for her grandmother, she hadn't thought too deeply into what it would actually involve. But at Patty-Mae's pointed question, her mind jumped to the idea with vivid detail. With her ears, nose, and cheeks heating up, Judy grabbed her ears and pulled them down over her face, even as she released a loud moan of frustration. "Patty-Mae," she whined. With her ears still covering her face, she continued whining, "Why did you have to put these images in my head!"

With a teasing laugh, Patty-Mae answered, "Oh, come on, Judy! You're the one who wants to mate and marry Nick. You need to consider these things so you know what you're getting yourself into."

Pulling her ears to the side of her face so she could meet her friend's laughing gaze, Judy exclaimed, "Not right now, I don't! It could be years before I see Nick again and I don't need to be having these images in my head!" Patty-Mae laughed which made Judy release her ears to glare at her friend. Saying, "It's not funny," she crossed her arms over her chest and began rapidly thumping her foot in frustration.

As Patty-Mae merely laughed again, Judy stated, "I already started dreaming about Nick kissing me, and now with this—!" Throwing her arms up in the air, she exclaimed, "I don't even want to know what my dreams are going to be like now! It's bad enough waking up with nightmares and bawling my eyes out, and I don't need to wake up hot and bothered on top of it!" With a huff as she folded her arms and began thumping her foot again, she added, "Especially since Nick's not around to do anything about it!"

"Oh-ho. So, you _do_ want him to taste you, even though he has those _sharp_ claws and _scary_ teeth?" Baring her own teeth and spreading her fingers to show off her blunt claws, Patty-Mae made a playful swipe at Judy.

"Patty-Mae!" Judy whined again as she grabbed her ears once more and pulled them down to either side of her face.

"Come on, admit it," said Patty-Mae with an evil grin. "Everything predatory about Nick is a turn on for you! Otherwise, thinking of Nick wouldn't get you so hot and bothered." With a triumphant smile, Patty-Mae waited for Judy to admit how hot she thought Nick was.

With a groan, Judy hid behind her ears again. Patty-Mae poked her in the side and Judy released her ears and threw her paws up in the air, exclaiming, "Okay, yes, I think Nick is hot! And everything predatory about him is a turn on for me." With a huff, she crossed her arms again while staring at one of the birds standing behind Patty-Mae as she muttered, "Grandma Cecilia claimed that a predator's fearsome weapons were some of their best assets when it came to snuggling together, that their long tongue was divine, that they're stamina was incredible, and that . . ." Judy's voice dropped to a low whisper as her ears and face heated up again as she finished, ". . . that size does matter."

Patty-Mae's eyes widened and her nose began twitching at Judy's admission, along with her grandmother's words. Thinking it over, and seeing that Judy lucked out in falling for fox who was much bigger than herself and had lethal weapons designed to take her down, along with that long tongue of his, Patty-Mae chuckled, saying, "Well, I don't know about Nick's stamina, but he definitely wins in the size department if he's proportional to his body size."

With a death glare, Judy popped her friend in the shoulder and said, "Stop it. Just stop it already. I admit I love everything about Nick, but I wasn't wanting to deal with all this until I can actually see Nick again and find out if he's even interested in me!" Waving her paws in the air, she added, "For all I know, he'll never see me as anything more than his rabbit friend. Nick will probably prefer a larger female that can better match up to him. So thinking of him like this before I even know if he'll have me is pointless and is just frustrating." Continuing to glare at the tan and black doe in front of her, Judy's foot started thumping again.

Patty-Mae opened her mouth to continue teasing her friend, but then realized Judy's repeated outbursts and rapidly thumping foot was agitating the birds they were standing amongst. Although usually calm, one could never know what might startle and set them off. As her laughter fled, Patty-Mae grabbed Judy's arm and started leading her towards the metal fence while stating, "Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing you. Just calm down. The last thing we need to do is get kicked by one of these birds."

Judy glanced around as Patty-Mae pushed her towards the fence. Although the birds had been calmly milling around the corral moments ago, with them occasional squawking at each other, they were now shifting restlessly with a few giving a sharp warning chirp. Though Judy was glad to see the grayish-brown doe watching her calmly while remaining alert to any danger that might have set Judy off, Judy didn't stick around inside the pen. These birds were mostly bigger than your average Island emu and getting kicked by one would be a serious matter as they could easily crimple or even kill a rabbit, their kicks were that powerful.

Slipping back between the thick, pipe railings of the corral fence, Judy patted JD, then walked to the barn wall to grab another halter and lead rope. Taking a deep breath while trying to calm down, she then turned back to Patty-Mae who had stopped beside JD.

Patty-Mae stood nibbling on her lower lip for a minute, then spoke up while watching Judy walk back towards her. "I know you don't have much faith right now, Judy, but I have a hard time believing Nick doesn't feel something more for you." As hope and fear warred in Judy's eyes, Patty-Mae explained, "Nick was willing to die for you, Judy, and he was also willing to live for you as your partner on the police force. A male doesn't do that for a female he doesn't have strong feelings for. He might not realize the full extent of his feelings yet, but I don't think it would take much for him to realize how much he needs you, too."

Judy met her friend's steady gaze for a moment, then nodded as she let a bit more hope fill her heart. Patty-Mae had a very good point. Nick had been willing to die for her, and he was also willing to turn his whole life around and live for her. That had to mean something, right? With another deep breath and with a bit more spring in her step, Judy slipped back through the pipe railing and into the flock of birds. Keeping an eye on the birds she was walking through, she made her way back to the grayish-brown female.

Petting the female's neck while talking softly to her, Judy slipped the end of the lead rope around the emu's neck to keep her steady, then slid the halter over her head and buckled it on. Leading her to the gate, Patty-Mae opened it up for her, and Judy led the emu into the barn and tied her up next to JD. As her friend asked her what she intended to name this bird, Judy said she'd name her Officer Toot-Toot, or Toot-Toot for short, then explained it was an inside joke with Nick.

Patty-Mae grinned while figuring Nick must have called Judy Officer Toot-Toot at some point. After discussing the price of the two birds, Judy realized she'd be cleaning her savings completely out if she bought both. With lowered ears, she figured she'd have to come back and buy JD later once she saved up more money, but Patty-Mae said not to bother. Judy could come out to help her with the birds to finish paying for JD. At 10 dollars an hour, Judy could work 4 hours a day for five days and she'd have the last $200 dollars paid off and JD would be officially hers.

With gratitude, Judy immediately agreed and they decided that Judy would start working next Monday afternoon, which would give Judy more time to get to know her birds before they headed into the mountains to fix up her grandmother's cabin. Judy would also come by Patty-Mae's house tomorrow afternoon so they could make better plans and gather the materials they'd need for the possible repairs on the cabin. With a plan in place, Judy happily wrote out a check for the money portion of her payment, then switched Patty-Mae's halter on Toot-Toot for the halter she had in her saddlebag. With a promise to return her friend's halter when she came by the next day, Judy climbed back into Pebbles' saddle and headed home.

Patty-Mae watched her go and hoped everything would work out for her and Nick. With a smile, she returned to her birds. Since it was now late afternoon, Joey would be getting home from work soon (he worked at a carpentry shop part-time), and since she needed to talk to him about the upcoming camping trip to fix up Judy's cabin, Patty-Mae figured she'd just hangout until he arrived. Then they could feed the birds together before sitting down and discussing plans for the rest of the week. Of course, having an excuse to see Joey today was always a plus. Originally, Joey was going to be feeding the birds today and she'd come by tomorrow and take care of them, but this worked out better.

In the meantime, she'd ride some of the birds and keep them in good selling condition. As she haltered one of the females to work with first, Patty-Mae wondered how Ryan would take Judy's proposal of friendship and if he'd be willing to accompany them to the mountains. She was fairly certain he would, but it left her wondering how Ryan really felt about Judy and why he never looked her up after high school. Especially, seeing as Judy would have gladly been friends with him.

Humming a happy little tune while thinking of Judy and her complicated flame, Patty-Mae sincerely hoped her predator friend would find Nick at the refugee camp this weekend. It would be a sweet end to the weekend if Judy could come home from her grandma's cabin to learn Nick was close at hand. _Or_ he got his hot tail in gear and came here himself. She still couldn't believe Nick would forget Judy so easily, not after risking his life to save her or agreeing to put in so much effort and fight through so much more prejudice to become her partner on the police force. If Judy had it hard trying to become a cop as a rabbit, Patty-Mae knew Nick would have it ten times worse for being a 'sly' fox.

Wishing the best for her new friend and her handsome fox, Patty-Mae turned her attention to her own, non-complicated flame here in Bunnyburrow. Hoping to see Joey soon herself, Patty-Mae pulled her saddle off the bird she'd ridden here and put it on the female she was working with. With a wide grin, she knew the rest of the week was going to be exciting.

* * *

WingedKatt here. Shaylee is making plans to get Nick and Judy together sooner, and Judy is making her own plans for the week. We'll see how everything turns out. Next chapter, Shaylee will give Judy her video debut (unbeknownst to her) and Patty-Mae will be discussing plans with her boyfriend and her brother.

**FYI:** For those of you wondering how Patty-Mae bred her King emus in just a decade, emus mature very quickly and are fully grown by their first birthday. Females can have up to 3 clutches of eggs each breeding season, with 5-20 eggs in each clutch. The female will also have a different male as the father to each clutch. So in 10 years, she'll have bred a _lot_ of birds.

Ch. 13: Questions and Answers, will post in 2 weeks. I hope you have a great weekend. If you have any thoughts or comment, I'd love to hear them.


	13. Chapter 13: Questions and Answers

Shaylee sat comfortably in the straw while playing on her phone. It had taken her a while to go through all her photos looking for pictures of Judy. She ended up making a photo file of Judy so it would make it easier to create her music videos of her sister to send to her foxy friend. She had wondered why Judy was taking so long to return, but once she started making the videos, she lost all track of time.

As it was, she had 10 music videos made by the time she finished. She found 7 songs that she hoped were how Nick felt about Judy (or would come to feel about Judy), 2 songs that she was sure Judy felt about Nick, and then finished with a song by Ravenscode called _My Escape_. From her talk with Nick earlier that day, Shaylee was sure Nick felt that Judy had been his escape—at least there at the end of their crazy adventure.

Hopefully, she could get more information about the press conference from Judy once she arrived. It still made no sense whatsoever that Judy had treated Nick the way she had.

Sitting with one knee drawn up some, and her other leg crossed over it, her foot tapped the air and her head bopped as she listened to the music videos again to make sure they looked and sounded right. The first 7 songs about Nick's feelings for Judy were: _She Can_ by Alabama, _It Must Be Love_ by Alan Jackson, _We Found Love_ by Boyce Avenue, _Something Just Like This_ by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay, _She's Everything_ by Brad Paisley, _God Gave Me You_ by Blake Shelton, and _Somebody_ by Bryan Adams. She then had _No One Else On Earth _by Wynonna and _If I Can't Have You_ by the Bee Gees for Judy's feelings for Nick. At least, going by what Mandy said about Judy and how she'd been acting the last month and a half, Shaylee assumed Judy felt this way about Nick. She then finished, of course, with_ My Escape_ by Ravenscode.

_Escape_ had just started playing when Shaylee heard the thud and scritch of the large, clawed feet of a couple of birds coming up the drive. Turning her phone off, Shaylee scooted to the hayloft door and glanced outside. Judy was coming down the road, but she wasn't alone. Trailing behind her were two emus—a female a little bigger than the bird she rode, having a grayish-brown coat with black tipped feathers, giving the female a unique spotted look. But what really caught Shaylee's attention was a much larger male with bright white, fluffy neck and chest feathers and a dark-brown, almost black body.

It was a gorgeous male, and if not for its size, Shaylee would have sworn it was one of the dwarf emus teenagers preferred to ride. Wondering where her sister got such a large bird (_and why!?)_, Shaylee slipped her phone in her pocket and then turned around and scrambled for the ladder leading down to the barn's main level. As she hopped off the last rung and onto the dirt floor, Shaylee saw Judy stop outside the open barn doors.

As her sister dropped from the saddle, Shaylee pulled her phone out and switched on the video recorder, whispering, "Nick, I hope you appreciate what I'm doing for you." Then Shaylee quickly looked around to find a good spot to stash her phone to record her conversation with Judy. Finding a good spot with a view of the barn floor that wasn't too far away so the audio could still be recorded, Shaylee then waited for Judy to bring the birds in.

Judy patted Pebbles neck with a heavy sigh, then turned her attention to JD and Toot-toot. Stepping over to them, she ran her paw along Toot-toot's side, then ran her paws down JD's fluffy neck and chest. She just couldn't get over how much JD reminded her of Nick, which sent her thoughts right back to all those pointed questions Patty-Mae had asked her. The ride home had been far too quiet and images of Nick (some of which had her ears blushing several shades of red) haunted her the whole way home. Although the ideas certainly intrigued her (Nick was certainly a talented todd and she had already seen what he could do with his tongue and a popsicle)—Judy groaned and buried her head into JD's fluffy feathers.

She really wished Patty-Mae hadn't brought up all these thoughts of Nick just yet. Although she certainly needed to think about them at some point, now wasn't the time. No matter what Patty-Mae or anyone else said, the likelihood of her meeting Nick in the near future was so improbable as to be laughable. And to have all these heated, vivid thoughts and images of Nick running around inside her head was going to be a pain in the tail. Especially if she did finally meet him and found out he could only ever see her as a friend—a _rabbit _friend. That would just about kill her if Nick friend-zoned her. She would deal with it and hope it would change to something more with time, but still, the initial feeling would kill her.

With a heavy sigh, she pulled her head out of JD's fluffy feathers, then swiped her paw over her nose to wipe the dust off before she started sneezing again. Stepping back up to Pebbles, Judy grabbed the reins again and said, "Come on, let's get you inside so I can get this saddle off you."

Stepping into the barn with the birds trailing behind her, Judy's ears perked forward and her nose twitched at seeing her sister Shaylee grinning at her.

"Hey, Judy, I heard you'd gone riding this morning, but I wasn't expecting to see you come back with some new birds." With wide eyes as she stared at the large male, Shaylee asked, "And where in the world did you find such a huge Dwarf emu!?"

With a grin spreading across her face, Judy said, "Well, Patty-Mae Leaps has been breeding the Dwarf emus bigger and calling them King emus. This is actually one of the smaller ones."

Shaylee pointed to the large male emu and said, "He's one of the _smaller_ ones!?"

Judy ears were perked forward as she laughed, saying, "Yeah, he's one of the smallest ones."

Shaylee's jaw dropped as she glanced between the two birds, then asked, "And why do you have them?"

Judy continued to smile as she said, "I bought them." At Shaylee's stunned look, Judy laughed and explained, "I'm going to sign up for the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol and work a few seasons there." With a grin as she looked back over her birds, Judy added, "I'm taking them up in the mountains Thursday morning to make sure they're mountain worthy before I sign up."

"Oh?" Shaylee murmured curiously. The fact Judy was finally pulling herself together and getting on with her life was a good sign, but she wondered how Nick figured into her plans. Judy wasn't one to give up once she set her mind on something. And going by how Mandy went crazy after learning Nick was a todd and not a buck, it was obvious Judy had set her mind on Nick. Wondering how Judy planned on getting Nick back while looking the two birds over, she then asked, "And you needed two birds for that . . . _why?"_

With another laugh (it felt wonderful to laugh again), Judy led Pebbles and the other two birds over to the hitching post and tied Pebbles up, then walked over to grayish-brown female and said, "Well, I bought Toot-toot here for myself—"

"Toot-toot?" Shaylee interrupted her. How did she come up with such an odd name for an emu?

Judy didn't explain as she moved over to the larger male and said, "And this is JD. I bought him for a friend."

Shaylee's face took on a look of shock once more. "You . . . _bought_ . . . an _emu_ . . . for a _friend?"_

Running her paw down JD's fluffy, white chest, Judy said, "Well, more like, because JD reminds me of a friend. And if I ever see my friend again, then I would like to go riding with him." Rubbing her paw down the white feathers again, Judy added, "My friend's a bit bigger than your average bunny so he'll need a bigger bird to ride comfortably."

"Oh?" Shaylee murmured again as she suddenly saw how Nick factored into the equation of Judy buying two birds. Clasping her paws behind her back, she rocked on her heels and asked, "Does this friend have a name?" With a hum, she waited for the answer she knew was coming. Seeing JD's fluffy white neck and chest, she immediately thought of the swath of creamy-white fur of Nick's neck that disappeared beneath his shirt. And like JD, Nick was quite a bit bigger than Judy.

Judy's ears dropped and she didn't immediately answer. After a moment of petting JD, Judy glanced over her shoulder and answered, "Nick. His name is Nick Wilde."

Shaylee watched Judy a moment. She was obviously uncomfortable and the peppy energy she had a moment ago was now gone. After a moment, Shaylee asked quietly, "Is this the same Nick that Mandy mentioned to me earlier today?"

Judy's ears shot up and she spun around, saying, "Mandy mentioned him!?" Rubbing a paw over her face, she exclaimed, "What did she say!?"

With a shrug of her shoulders, Shaylee answered, "Well, she might have mentioned the fact you've been dreaming about him, and bawling over him, and that you were . . . _interested_ in him."

Judy dropped her face in her paws and leaned back against JD. The tall bird squawked at her and ruffled his feathers, but otherwise stood still. Judy was glad of this as she didn't feel like falling backwards onto her tail.

As Judy didn't answer, Shaylee glanced at her phone still recording the conversation, then back at Judy and asked, "Well, was she right? Are you interested in Nick?"

Taking a deep breath, Judy looked off out the barn door. With a heavy sigh, she said, "Yes, I am." Now that she finally understood her feelings about Nick, she didn't want to deny how she felt about him, even if she wasn't ready to admit what species he was. If her mother ever found out she was chasing a predator, she'd never hear the end of it. Judy had enough on her plate already, without needing to listen to her mother's tirade about how she needed to settle down and start popping out kits. She could just hear her mother's voice now. _'Bun-bun, it's a rabbit doe's greatest joy in life to have kits and raise a large family. How can you possibly have a family if you hook up with a predator, and a fox at that!? You know foxes can't be trusted. Have you forgotten what Gideon did to you? How can you even think about laying with a mammal with such sharp teeth and claws? You know you'll be hurt, Bun-bun.' _

Judy rolled her eyes at her mother's imagined concern for her choice of a mate. Trying to push her mother's pessimism back down, Judy looked at her sister and met her eyes, saying, "I do like him. I really, _really_ like him."

Shaylee nodded as this was the answer she was expecting. With a deep breath as her nose twitched, she slowly asked, "And how do you think he feels about you?"

Judy's shoulders slumped. With her face in her paws again, Judy moaned, "I'm pretty sure he hates me."

Shaylee's ears drooped and after another glance at the camera, she asked Judy, "And why do you think that? From what Mandy said, he went out of his way to help you."

"He did, Shaylee." Dropping her paws, Judy looked back at her sister as she hugged herself dejectedly. "Nick not only went out of his way to help me, but he risked his life to do it. And I . . . I was such a _horrible_ friend. I was small-minded and treated him so badly. Then I said such awful things about him, and to him, and then I . . ." Dropping her gaze to the barn's dirt floor while rubbing her arms morosely, Judy thought of that awful day. Nick's betrayed face flashed before her eyes and she just wanted to start bawling again—_after_ digging a hole and burying herself in it.

Shaylee rubbed her own arms. She wanted to go to her sister and wrap her in a tight hug, but doubted she would get the answers she needed if she did (her sister would probably be crying too hard to answer any other questions). Taking a deep breath and wringing her paws together, she glanced quickly at the camera, then stepped closer to Judy and asked softly, "What did you do, Judy?"

With a sniffle, Judy wiped a paw across her face then said, "Nick, he . . ." Judy took a shuddering breath and continued, "He wanted to prove how little I trusted him, so he . . . he scared me and I reacted exactly how he expected me to." Burying her face back in her arms with a sob, she cried, "I wish I'd never taken the stupid can of Fox mace from Dad."

Hearing Judy mention the can of Fox-Away, Shaylee seized her chance to bring up the fact Nick was a fox without giving away the fact she knew him. She was going to beat Nick with a frying pan if he still insisted on playing Mandy's stupid game for a week. With a flick of her tail, she pointed out, "Since Nick had a problem with fox mace, and you said he scared you, does that mean he's a fox?" At Judy's sharp glance, Shaylee added, "You admitted you said some really hateful things about him and that speech at the conference was pretty hateful towards predators."

Judy's ears shot up for a moment, then dropped back down her back. Rubbing her arms again, she leaned against JD and stared out the barn door again. In a nearly soft whisper that Shaylee almost didn't hear, Judy finally replied, "Yeah, Nick is a fox. A red fox." Half expecting her sister to call her insane or stupid or some other such name, the hug Judy received left her in a daze.

Seeing Judy's melancholy expression while remembering how Mandy reacted to learning Nick was a fox, Shaylee stepped forward to pull her sister into a tight hug. "It's okay, Judy. If you found love in the arms of a fox, then I'll support you."

"You will?" Judy asked in a dull voice as she still couldn't believe her sister's complete acceptance of her attraction to a predatory fox.

Still hugging her sister, Shaylee replied, "Of course, I do. You were always happiest when you were with your predator friends. And they always did give you more support than any of us rabbits." With a light chuckle, Shaylee added, "And I never could see you settling down with some buck. A boring bunny buck was never your type."

Judy gave a shaky laugh as her arms finally circled her sister and returned the hug. "Yeah, bunny bucks have never caught or held my interest." With a deep breath while trying not to cry, she added, "Now if Mom could just figure that out, I'd be doing good."

Shaylee laughed softly for a moment, but then calmed down and said, "Seriously though, why were you scared of Nick? Was it because he was a fox?"

"NO!" Judy shouted. Taking a deep breath, she buried her face in Shaylee's shoulder while mumbling, "It's wasn't Nick I was afraid of."

"It wasn't!?" Shaylee exclaimed as she was at a complete loss as to why Judy showed such fear if she wasn't scared of Nick.

Judy shook her head against Shaylee's shoulder, and consequently getting her sister's shirt damp with a few of her unshed tears. "Nope."

Pushing back out of the hug, Shaylee gripped Judy's upper arms and met her anguished gaze. "Then why did you act so afraid!?" She was sure that this was the crux of the matter with Nick being able to see Judy as a potential mate. If Judy was going to show irrational fear of him for being a predatory fox, then there's no way he could ever see her as a mate.

After another sniffle, Judy took a deep breath and said, "I . . . I wasn't acting." With another sniffle and wipe of her eyes, she explained, "For a split second when Nick bared his teeth and claws at me, I was truly terrified."

As Judy's gaze dropped back to the ground, Shaylee hastily glanced at the phone, hoping this confession wasn't going change Nick's mind about keeping an open mind in regards to their relationship. Focusing back on Judy, she said, "But you weren't afraid of Nick, correct?"

Judy shook her head, saying, "Nick never did anything to make afraid of him. Once we both got to know each other and truly started working together, then he always put my needs above his own. He was smart, and funny, and he truly cared about me. He was the first mammal in the city to show me that I mattered." Looking up to meet Shaylee's interested gaze, she added, "He stood up and fought for my dream, Shaylee. No one else has ever done that for me."

Shaylee nodded as she figured this was the tipping point in getting Judy to fall for Nick. If he hadn't first fought for, and then joined her in her dream to be a cop, Judy probably wouldn't have developed any feelings for him. He would have just remained a friend to her. Reaching up to wipe a few more tears off Judy's face, Shaylee then asked her, "So if you weren't afraid of Nick, what were you afraid of?"

Judy rubbed her arm as her gaze dropped once more to the ground. With a soft mumble, she answered, "Everything, I guess."

"Huh?" Shaylee asked. This was not the answer she was expecting.

"It was the case." Looking up briefly, Judy explained, "We were looking for this cute, little otter who'd gone missing. The first day looking for him was frustrating, not scary, but it seems the second day was just one scary event after another. The last mammal to see Otterton was this jaguar limo driver named Manchas. Otterton had attacked him and nearly took his eye out, but I couldn't really see how such a sweet little otter could do that to him. I mean, I saw the scars over his eyes, but even then, I couldn't see the otter doing that. Mrs. Otterton is smaller than we are, and she was so sad and heartbroken, but gentle—_really gentle_. And seeing Mr. Otterton in the family photo she had, with him standing happily with her and their two kits—he just seemed so small, kind, and . . . and _docile_."

Rubbing her forehead while remembering that fateful night, Judy continued. "When we first started talking to Manchas, he was really timid and fearful." Dropping her paw to meet her sister's gaze, Judy explained, "The attack really haunted him and seemed to have robbed him of his large, predatory status, making him no different than frightened prey." Shaking her head at the bizarreness of what happened next, she added, "But when Manchas unlocked the door to let us in so we could question him about the attack, something happened to him." A haunted look of her own entered Judy's amethyst gaze as she said in a strained voice, "He went savage on us, Shaylee."

As a shiver ran down her spine, Judy grabbed her ears and pulled on them while remembering that terrifying experience. Taking a deep, jagged breath, she went on, saying, "At first, it looked like he was in pain, like something was eating him from the inside or something. But then he turned on us and chased us with every intention of killing and eating us!" Pulling on her ears again, she exclaimed, "Shaylee, it was so scary! I've never been so scared of anything in my whole life!"

Taking a gasping breath, Judy added, "We were in the Rainforest District, hundreds of feet up in the air, trying to outrun a savage jaguar who was snapping and snarling at our feet and tails, while at the same time, trying not to slide off the slick branches and falling to our deaths." Tugging on her ears again, Judy exclaimed, "His teeth made this awful clacking sound when he snapped them inches from our tails, and his claws were so sharp and must have been as long as my whole paw!"

Shaylee's jaw was slack as the media had never mentioned Judy being attacked by any savage predator, and of course, Judy hadn't mentioned it herself. "So what happened?" she finally asked.

Taking a deep breath, Judy started pacing as she remembered the frightening events that took place during her first case. "Well, I was a cop and I knew I couldn't panic or we'd be dead. Nick was a civilian, so I knew I had to protect him somehow. I also needed to find a way for us to escape or somehow neutralize the threat. So, I buried my fears deep down so they wouldn't affect my judgement." Shaking her head as she hugged herself, Judy continued pacing as she said, "We obviously escaped, but then Manchas disappeared before backup arrived, so then we had to find a savage jaguar on top of finding our missing otter."

Judy paused to take a breath, then continued, "With Nick's help we found all our missing mammals, but when we found Otterton—_that sweet, little otter_—he tried bite my head off!" Staring at her sister, Judy pulled on her ears again as she described how terrifying it was to have an otter try to rip her face off and claw her to bits from the other side of a thick glass window. And then watching a tiger try to bite her friend's head off right afterwards—the whole thing was scary. And then nearly getting caught minutes later was a whole other kind of scary. But Judy didn't let herself feel the fear because she had to get the evidence out and a case to close, so she buried all that fear she'd been feeling deep down and out of sight.

Shaylee nodded as everything was finally starting to make sense. Walking up to pet Toot-toot's fluffy feathers, she met Judy's distraught gaze and said, "So, during the press conference . . ."

Judy heaved a heavy sigh as she released her ears to hug herself again. Rubbing her paws over her biceps, she said, "Standing up in front of the media was scary in its own rights, but then when Nick scared me . . . Shaylee, he took the same stance as Gideon when he clawed me and I was suddenly 9 years old all over again." With a shake of her head as her nose began twitching incessantly, she continued, saying, "At that point, it was like something inside me snapped." Waving her paws in the air, she said, "All that fear I had buried deep inside bubbled up to the surface and I panicked."

Dropping her face in her paws again, Judy moaned, "Shaylee, you should have seen Nick's face." Shaking her head still held in her paws, she groaned, "The look of hurt and betrayal won't leave me any peace, and then his anger that rushed up to replace it." Picking her head up, Judy stared at her sister as fresh tears spilled down her face. "How can he forgive me, Shaylee? How can he still care about me when I treated him no differently than all the other back-stabbing mammals who've hurt him!?"

Shaylee stepped up to Judy and gripped her forearms again, saying, "Listen to me, Judy, Nick does not hate you. After everything he did for you, all the times he put his life on the line to stick with you and protect you—there's no way he could hate you."

"But—" Judy started before being cut off by her sister.

"No buts. Yes, you hurt him, and yes, you disappointed him, and yes, he was angry with you—_but_ that doesn't mean he hates you. He might have saved your life, but you forget, _you _also saved _his_ life and that's not something he can easily forget. You couldn't have hurt him that deeply unless he first felt deeply for you, which means he'll come looking for you sooner or later." Judy didn't look very convinced, so Shaylee added, "Look, if Nick was great enough for you to fall for him, then he's not some shallow jerk who would throw your friendship away so easily."

Pulling Judy in a tight hug once more, Shaylee whispered, "Judy have a little faith, okay. Before you know it, Nick's going to be driving into town in a classic black convertible asking to see you."

The black convertible Judy had seen earlier that day flashed through her mind, but she immediately pushed the image away. To think that was Nick's car was just wishful thinking. Although he bragged about making $200 a day since he was twelve, Judy had to wonder. Nick's clothes weren't anything fancy or expensive—_loud_—but not expensive. And the one time she saw him in a vehicle, it was in his partner's loud van (the picture on the van's side was 'loud' as was the bang as the engine backfired). And of course, Nick's partner was the one driving. If Nick _did_ own such a vehicle, wouldn't he want to drive it around? She certainly would.

With images of Nick still dancing through her head, Judy sniffled while silent tears ran down her face as she hoped desperately that Shaylee was right, but half afraid to believe it at the same time. Burying her face in Shaylee's shoulder again, she whispered, "I hope you're right, Shaylee. I really hope you're right."

Rubbing her back, Shaylee, replied, "I am, you'll see." Glancing at her phone, she pointed towards it as if pointing to Nick, then pointed down at Judy while mouthing, 'Call her or I'll strangle you.' While still staring at the phone, Shaylee said, "In fact, I'll be really surprised if you don't hear from him by the end of the week."

Judy gave a slight laugh. She didn't really believe she'd see Nick so soon, but the simple fact Shaylee was rooting for her and Nick relieved some of her worries and calmed her heart. As her tears dried up, she whispered, "Thanks, Shaylee."

"Anytime, Judy, I'm here for you." With another squeeze, Shaylee stepped back from their hug.

Before anything more could be said, though, the back door of the house swung open and several of the older kits streamed out yelling, "Dinner's in 15 minutes! Come inside and get washed up or you'll go hungry!" The kits were sent out to tell everyone working in the fields, the tractor garage, or with the birds that it was dinnertime, but as soon as they saw the new emus Judy had bought dinner was completely forgotten as they 'oohed' and 'ahhed' over the _massive_ (to young bunnies) King emu.

Luckily, JD was good natured, and other than squawk at them and ruffle his feathers while preening with pride, he didn't seem too bothered by the young bunnies. With the distraction the young bunnies provided, Judy was able to set her worries of Nick aside as she led the birds (and her younger nieces and nephews) deeper into the barn so she could put them in their own stall, all the while telling the inquisitive kits about how Patty-Mae had bred the Dwarf emus into the much larger King emus.

While Judy was distracted, Shaylee hurried over to grab her phone. Looking into the camera, she whispered, "Nick, if you ignore my sister after this and continue playing Mandy's stupid little game then I _will_ wring your fluffy red and white neck. Do I make myself clear?" With that, she stopped the recording and turned off her phone before pocketing it. At least with this, Nick will know exactly how Judy feels about him and why she acted the way she did back at the press conference. Nick now had no excuse for not falling for her sister and when Shaylee saw him later tonight, she'd make sure he saw this.

...

Patty-Mae was just riding back to the barn on one of the large male emus when she saw Joey and his brothers Branden, Toby, and Kenneth, along with their sisters, Bethany, Valerie, and Joyce, drive up and pile out of the Joey's bronco. Joey's siblings all waved to her as she rode up on the large emu with a fluffy, white chest, and then Joey saw her as he climbed from the vehicle.

With a wide, surprised smile, Joey called out to her, saying, "Hey, Beautiful! I thought you were coming tomorrow." Joey was a chocolate rabbit with black ears and a black muzzle who was right at home on a bird or working with wood making a variety of things, from simple, little carvings to antique looking furniture.

With a shrug, Patty-Mae replied, "I was, but something came up so here I am." Dropping from the saddle, she gave Joey a tight hug and a quick kiss.

With a wide grin, Joey wrapped his arm around her lower back as he turned toward the barn. As they began walking towards the barns so Patty could put up the emu, Joey asked, "So what came up that brought you to me?" With a wink, he turned his head to watch her.

With a bright smile, she answered, "I sold two of my King emus today."

With wide eyes, Joey exclaimed, "Really! That's great. Who bought them?"

Wrapping one arm around Joey as she held the reins with the other, Patty-Mae flicked her tail as she teased him, saying, "You'll never guess who."

"Oh, come on, Patty!" Raising his chocolate-colored paw to swat her ear (even as he glanced down her back at her fluffy tail as it bobbed back and forth—she had the cutest tail of any bunny he'd ever seen!), Joey repeated, "Come on, tell me."

Flicking her ear out of reach of her boyfriend's playful paw, Patty-Mae laughed, saying, "It was Judy Hopps." Joey froze and Patty-Mae took several steps forward before realizing her boyfriend was no longer beside her. Turning around as her emu sidestepped and followed the reins around back of her, she clasped her paws behind her back and rocked on her heals with a smug smile on her face while waiting for Joey's reply.

"Wait," Joey said in disbelief as the bird stared at him over Patty's head. "Judy Hopps!? As in the _cop!?"_

Patty-Mae rocked on her heals again as she said, "Yep. Judy bought that pretty, little grayish-brown female with the black-tipped feathers, and then she bought Shorty."

Waving his paws out in front of him, Joey said, "Hold on. Hold on. Wait!" Resting one paw on his hip, he pointed at his girlfriend and said, "You mean to tell me that Judy Hopps, who set Zootopia ablaze 4 months ago and then came home all depressed just one month ago, came all the way out here to buy 2 of your birds?"

With a grin, Patty-Mae nodded, but then said, "Well, she originally just came for one bird—she wants to sign up for the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol."

With a head shake, Joey said, "Well, I guess she'd need her own bird for that." Patty-Mae nodded, and then he asked, "And Shorty?"

Stepping back over to Joey, Patty-Mae hooked her arm through his and began walking towards the barn again as her King emu stepped sideways and fell in behind them as Patty-Mae led him towards the second barn. With a hum, she said, "Shorty was more of a spur of the moment buy."

"Oh, really?" Joey asked a little dubiously. Although he didn't know Judy personally, for a rabbit wanting to be a big city cop, there were plenty of mammals watching her—and even more rumors floating around. And from what he'd seen and heard, Judy didn't seem to be an impulsive buyer. She liked to plan her life out and account for every penny.

"Hhhmm," Patty-Mae replied. "Shorty reminded her of a friend she made in Zootopia, and should she ever see him again, she'd like to go riding with him."

Joey gave her a funny look, saying, "But Shorty is a lot bigger than your average Island emu. What city rabbit would want to ride him?"

With a laugh, Patty-Mae asked, "And who said he's a rabbit?"

"Oh, so he's a he? And he's bigger than she is?" Joey pointed out curiously.

Patty-Mae grinned, saying, "I figure he's probably about a foot or so taller than she is."

"So, Judy likes the tall type." Most hares and jackrabbits were taller than rabbits (Patty-Mae was two inches taller than he was), but the tallest ones that might fit his girlfriend's description were all jocks that either played basketball or football. But Joey really couldn't see Judy falling for a jock as they were some of the worst bullies who teased her for wanting to be a big city cop. Bringing his attention back to Patty, and hearing her hum of agreement, Joey pointed out, "And she bought an emu just for him?" Even if she liked the guy, this seemed a bit much.

Patty-Mae shook her head. "Not so much for him, but more of the hope that she'll see him again. The hope that she'll be able to have that ride with him."

Joey was silent for a moment, then asked, "Did they have a fight or something?"

Patty-Mae flicked her ear while saying, "Something like that . . . four months ago."

Joey had to think for a moment as four months ago seemed like a lifetime ago. A lot of the fruit in their orchards were ripening so there was picking to do, he was helping Patty out with her birds, as well as his part-time job at the carpentry shop here in town. He had also been practicing for the lizard wrangling competition at rodeo starting this week. And then there were all the savage attacks and protests, a few of which turned into riots, which the news had been giving them daily updates on. Realizing what his girlfriend had been hinting at, Joey's eyes widened. Four months ago is when Judy gave her speech that condemned every predator in Zootopia. Staring at his girlfriend walking beside him, Joey exclaimed, "No way! Judy fell for a _predator!?"_

With a shrug, Patty-Mae replied, "Well, after everything Judy told me he did for her, I'd say he's a keeper."

Joey shook his head in disbelief, but after thinking about all the predator friends Judy had growing up (she preferred hanging out with predators far more than she ever did her own kind) and the fact she ran into him in Zootopia which was chock-full of predators, Joey wasn't too surprised. When it came to her dreams, Judy always did get more help and support from predators rather than prey.

With another shake of his head, Joey glanced back at his girlfriend and pointed a finger at her, saying, "Just don't mention that to any of my grandparents."

"Well," Patty-Mae started, "I wasn't planning to mention it to anyone else in your family, but why specifically your grandparents?"

"Because when I was younger, especially when my great-grandparents were still alive," Joey explained with a flick of his tail, "they would always go on about how queer the Hopps clan was and how we kits needed to be careful about getting too close to them."

"Oh, really?" Patty-Mae asked with a raised eyebrow. "And what was so strange about them?"

Joey shrugged as he flicked one of his black ears. "Apparently, one of Judy's great-grandmas crawled in bed with a predator and her great-grandfather still took her in. That didn't sit well with the old-timers." Turning to look at his girlfriend again with his deep-blue eyes, he added, "You know mammals were a lot more specist back then and reacted badly to anyone who didn't fit the norm."

Passing the first barn, they walked towards the second barn as Patty-Mae said, "Yeah, Judy mentioned that. It was pretty tragic, actually." At Joey's questioning gaze, she gave her boyfriend a rundown on Cecilia's and Tyrel's tragic love story, and how much love and affection Stuart felt towards Cecilia in protecting her from the town's harsh words and actions.

Joey's jaw went slack, then he exclaimed, "That is so messed up!" Patty-Mae nodded, and Joey shook his head. "They really dumped their bodies in the marsh!?"

"That's what Judy said." Looking at some of the birds still milling about in the corral, with a few in the pasture near the corral gate, Patty-Mae tried to imagine how it felt for Cecilia to realize she would never see Tyrel again. Glancing over at Joey who was lost in thought, Patty-Mae didn't think she'd be able to get over him any better than Cecilia did Tyrel if she'd lost him in such a tragic way. She truly loved Joey and hoped to spend her life with him, so if she ever lost him, especially in such a heartrending way, Patty-Mae knew she'd probably suffer from bouts of depression, too.

Shaking his head again, which sent his black ears flopping against his back, Joey repeated, "That is just so messed up."

Patty-Mae could only nod sadly while hoping Judy and Nick didn't face the same tragedy with their own love story (she really couldn't see Nick not returning Judy's love, not with everything he'd already done for her). Of course, times were changing and interspecies relationships were gaining ground, so there was a lot more hope for their love to succeed whereas Cecilia's and Tyrel's love was doomed from the start.

While thinking about the stories he remembered hearing about the Hopps clan when he was growing up, Joey mumbled, "I guess there's no buried treasure up in the mountains, then."

Patty-Mae's eyes widened as she stared at her chocolate-colored boyfriend. "Buried treasure?" At Joey's glance, she asked, "What buried treasure?"

Joey's dark tail twitched, saying, "It's just rumors and hearsay I heard growing up."

With an eye roll, Patty-Mae said, "Joey, you can't mention buried treasure and leave it at that." Bumping his shoulder with her own, she asked again, "What buried treasure?"

Joey chuckled as he bumped her back, saying, "Apparently, there is none." At Patty's glare, he chuckled again, then explained, "When I was little, my grandparents used to go on about how the Hopps matriarch—they refused to mention her name—was taking cans of silver dollars and wads of cash up to the mountain to bury."

Patty-Mae's expression took on the look of utter disbelief. As her family hadn't been in Bunnyburrow long and had spent a lot of time on their property trying to build up their ranch, a lot of the small prey old-timers (rabbits, hares, and prairie dogs) were stand-offish with her family, which meant they'd missed out on a lot of the town gossip, especially the gossip that pertained to one of the original families that founded Bunnyburrow, the Hopps clan being one of them.

Grinning at his girlfriend's bewilderment, Joey said, "Most of the old-timers speculated about Stuart buying up so much land in the mountains—it was over 50 acres—and how he'd take his wife up to the mountains for a week or more at a time. Stuart usually returned after a day or two, but his wife, whose name will remain nameless—that's what my grandparents always said," Joey muttered with a shake of his finger, "would always remain in the mountains until Stuart went to get her."

With a shake of his dark head and flick of his black ears, Joey continued, saying, "Needless to say, a lot of wild rumors flew around town on what she was doing up there." At Patty's questioning gaze, Joey said, "They were outrageous to say the least, with some saying she was a voodoo witch trying to curse the town for what happened to her predator lover, while others said Stuart was locking her up in some cave as punishment for her crime of sleeping with a predator."

A paw flew up to cover Patty-Mae's mouth as she murmured, "That's awful!"

Joey nodded as his black nose twitched, saying, "The consensus in town, though, was that Stuart was letting his wife bury money up in the mountains."

Patty-Mae shook her head at how dumb the idea was. "You know how ridiculous that sounds, right?"

Joey chuckled again, saying, "You don't need to tell me, but some of my older brothers believed it. They used to sit around in the evening listening to some of my uncles talk about how they used to sneak up there during the summer and go digging for all those buried silver coins and cash." With a shake of his head, he added, "A freak storm put an end to it, though."

"A freak storm?" Patty-Mae asked, intrigued. She knew that sudden thunderstorms would strike up in the mountains at times. It would be a perfectly sunny day with hardly a cloud in sight, and then within about an hour or two of first seeing clouds a huge electrical storm would hit without warning. It was scary when it hit so everyone who hiked in the mountains were warned to keep track of the weather and watch for thunderclouds gathering on the horizon.

Joey nodded. "They weren't paying attention to the sky and were nearly electrocuted when the storm hit. And in the heavy downpour, they lost one of the emus when it slipped off the trail. Nearly took my brother with him. Luckily, he had grabbed a small tree before going over the cliff the emu slid off of, but he dislocated his shoulder in the process and nearly broke his ankle when it caught briefly in the stirrup."

Patty-Mae had stopped walking as she stared in horror at her boyfriend. Shaking his head while running a paw through his headfur, Joey continued, "And to top it off, they got caught up in flash flood once they reached the bottom." Remembering how close his family came to losing his brothers on that ill-fated (and foolhardy) treasure hunting trip, Joey murmured, "They lost two more birds in the water and one of my brother's nearly drowned. He went down with his bird and washed up on shore downstream. They had to perform CPR on him, and at first they didn't think he made it, but then he started coughing up water and gasping before sitting up to ask what had happened."

Patty-Mae could just hear Joey's older brothers yelling at their drowned brother about how he nearly died. That would definitely have been a terrifying experience, an experience she hoped never to experience for herself. "Wow," she finally murmured. "I guess that would put a stop to all the nonsense."

Joey agreed with a nod. "Yeah. Needless to say, whatever is hidden up in the mountain is still a mystery."

Hearing this, a twinkle entered Patty-Mae's eyes as she bumped Joey's shoulder with her own. "Not if you know the right mammals."

Joey's ears immediately perked up as he asked, "What do you mean?"

With a huge grin, Patty-Mae told her boyfriend about Judy's cabin in the mountains and how Patty had offered their services in fixing the place up—should he wish to join them. It took Joey a minute to get his head wrapped around the idea that Judy owned her great-grandma's cabin in the mountains, but once he did, he readily agreed to the arrangement. After Patty-Mae gave him the details, saying Judy would come by tomorrow afternoon to finalize their plans before picking up the supplies, the two of them reached the barn.

It didn't take the two long to put up her bird and feed the flock, after which Patty-Mae joined Joey and his family for dinner. They visited a bit afterwards as they walked paw in paw through the orchard, with Joey asking more about the upcoming trip. After getting the details he was curious about, he then asked Patty about her day before telling her about his own. Guiding Patty back to the barn so she could saddle up and head home, Joey stole a few kisses then stepped back to allow Patty to mount her emu. With a final wave goodbye, he watched her head home to talk to Ryan about their upcoming trip to the mountains and to see if he wanted to join them.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter, Patty-Mae will ask Ryan about Judy and will get some interesting answers.

Chapter 14: Questions and Answers, Part 2, will post in two weeks. Have a great weekend and stay safe. If you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them.


	14. Chapter 14: Questions and Answers Part 2

WingedKatt here. Near the end of the chapter, Nick will be playing the song, _Always Something There To Remind Me_ by Naked Eyes if you want to look it up and listen to it.

* * *

Upon arriving home, Patty-Mae found her brother out in the lizard barn, having just fed their monitor lizards their dinner of bug pellets. They didn't have many—a pair each of black dragons, black-throated monitors, rock monitors, and white-throated monitors—but it was enough to practice with. Ryan and a few of her other brothers were signed up for the Lizard Wrangling competition at the rodeo (they'll be competing against Joey and a few of his brothers), along with the barrel racing. But the lizard wrangling competition wouldn't start until Monday afternoon.

Stepping up to Ryan as he turned to give her a smile, Patty-Mae met his light-brown gaze and grinned back, saying, "How's my favorite lizard-wrangling brother doing?"

Ryan laughed with a shrug but didn't reply as he turned back to watch the monitor lizards. The two rock monitors looked like they were wearing military fatigues due to their mottled, grayish-brown markings. His favorite ones, though, were the black dragons (also known as black water monitors) and the black-throated monitors. These four were the largest out of their lizards, with their black scales giving them a unique look as the sunlight glinted off them.

As Patty-Mae leaned over the fence to watch the black-scaled dragon lizards eat (their tails were still laying in the water of their lizard pond), she asked, "You ready for the competition?"

Still grinning, Ryan glanced over, his light-brown eyes twinkling, and said, "As ready as I'll ever be."

Nodding, Patty-Mae jerked her head and said, "Walk with me."

With a twitch of his ear, Ryan pushed off from the fence and followed his sister across the yard to the old treehouse a bunch of their older brothers and their pa had built ages ago. Following her up, he glanced at the sign over the open doorway that said, _'No girls allowed!'_ With a chuckle while remembering all the fun times he had with his brothers and friends in here, planning bird rides to new and exciting areas or some fun and mischief to get up to.

Looking around, Ryan noticed the dust on the place, which was familiar as the treehouse was drafty with open windows. Stepping further into the treehouse, he immediately saw the old treasure map hanging on the back wall, a soccer ball and a kickball on the floor next to a cardboard box filled with baseball gear: two wooden bats, several baseballs, and a dozen or so mitts, along with an umpire's protective mask. At the other side of the room was a long table with sketch pads, pencils, a dusty cowboy hat, and a couple of lassos hanging over the back of the chair sitting at the table. There was also an old dusty couch and a couple of stools sitting at the opposite side of the room.

Following Patty-Mae through the treehouse to the little porch balcony, and ducking through the short doorway to step onto it, Ryan mimicked his sister and leaned over the railing and looked out over the yard. The large tree that the treehouse was built in stood in the far corner of the backyard and looked out over the place and the large ranch house. Turning to look at Patty-Mae, he asked, "So, are you going to tell me why we're way up here and not enjoying the porch swing on the back porch?"

Patty-Mae chuckled, as she glanced over at her brother. "Walls have ears over at the big house."

With a chuckle, Ryan nodded, saying, "So they do." Looking back over the yard and the various paths that led to the treehouse, the barns, several outbuildings, along with the corral where they practiced their lizard wrangling and other rodeo stunts, Ryan then glanced at his sister and asked, "So what is it you want to talk about that you don't want the walls hearing . . . and gossiping about?"

Patty-Mae didn't answer right away as she went over the conversation she had with Judy and what she needed to ask, while also wondering how her brother would respond. Finally, she settled on a simple question. "How do you feel about Judy?"

Ryan's tan ears twitched, as did his dark nose, as this was the last question he was expecting Patty-Mae to ask him. With a scoff, he said, "Now don't tell me you're jumping on the bandwagon with Jarod and Jeremy about me asking Judy out are you?"

Laughing, Patty-Mae shook her paws out in front of her, saying, "Not at all. I was just wondering what she meant to you. She did tell me she was looking forward to eating lunch together and catching up on old times."

Ryan didn't immediately answer as he stood studying his sister for a minute. When it was apparent she wasn't going to start ragging on him about 'bucking' up and asking the Hopps' doe out, he turned to look back over the yard. "I admire Judy, I always have, but I know I'm not her type." With a chuckle, he glanced back over and said, "Why do you think I never asked her out in high school or looked her up after we graduated?"

Patty-Mae didn't know how to answer at first. Ryan had always been quiet, but he wasn't stupid. Even though he wasn't a big talker, and was extremely shy during his school years, Ryan was very observant. He liked to watch people and try to figure them out. So, whenever gossip was spread, Ryan could usually tell the fact from the fiction depending on the personality and character of the mammal being gossiped about.

After high school, he spent several summers with a few of their uncles who were in the construction business, which is where he learned to not only build, but to fix electrical wiring and plumbing. He used the money he earned working to help pay for college. There parents paid for his tuition, but he had to earn the rest. But since earning his degrees in Animal Husbandry and Animal Science, along with a minor degree in Veterinary Medicine, he returned home and pretty much stayed on the ranch.

He wasn't a full-fledged vet, and so couldn't preform any major surgery, but he knew enough to preform minor surgery (set and splint broken legs or stitch up a nasty cut), and could properly diagnose most illnesses and knew how to cure them. This made Ryan the Lazy 'L' Ranch's on-call vet. He was also the on-call vet for several of their closest neighbors. With farms and ranches being so spread out and miles apart, having a vet close by when an accident happened was a lifesaver to their birds or other animals they raised, such as the various breeds of monitor lizards.

As Ryan spent most of his time here on the ranch, tending the birds and lizards, and only going into town when he needed to buy something, he didn't spend a lot of time with mammals outside their family (which is one of the main reasons he was still single). That's not to say he was a complete hermit. He did go out with their siblings periodically, and occasionally he went out with friends. But mostly Ryan was content to remain on the farm tending the animals or helping her breed and train her King emus.

With a shrug and flick of her cottony tail, Patty-Mae finally replied, "Because you were shy? You were afraid of rejection?"

Ryan shook his head. "If I had asked, I knew Judy would have at least gone on one date with me."

"But she turned her nose up at every other buck who asked her out," Patty-Mae pointed out.

Ryan snorted. "I would have been disappointed in her if she _had_ accepted all those other offers." Meeting his sister's curious amber gaze, he explained, "All those bucks she stuck her nose up at were players. They just wanted bragging rights of dating her and hopefully stealing her first kiss. There were quite a few bets placed on her first date and her first kiss."

Patty-Mae's mouth dropped open for a moment, then she snapped her mouth shut as her nose started twitching. "Then why . . . ?" Shaking her head, she didn't finish her question. She knew Ryan would never date someone over a stupid bet. "So, if you knew she would accept a date with you, why didn't you ask her out?" Her brother had the chance to date his crush in high school and yet never took the opportunity. This didn't make sense to her as her brother wasn't one to let obvious opportunities slip past him. He was shy and clumsy in high school, but he worked his tail off during the summer to overcome his klutzy disposition and gain some confidence. So why didn't he ask Judy out?

Ryan looked back over the yard and studied their sprawling 4-story ranch house with its wrap-around porch. Some of the older kits were playing in the yard closer to the house, and he knew several of his siblings and their kits were still out with some of the birds—brushing them down or cleaning out stalls before putting them up for the night. Finally, he said, "I'm a down-home country boy." Catching Patty-Mae's questioning gaze from the corner of his eye, Ryan continued, "Give me the land, my birds, and something to do with my paws and I'm happy." Turning to meet her amber gaze again, he added, "I'm content."

Patty-Mae nodded, as her brother wasn't lying. He was completely at home and content working here on their family's bird ranch. A lot of their siblings had moved out to find their own fortune, to do something with their life besides ranching. Others got married and moved in with their spouse's family. But not her and Ryan. They were both content to stay on their family's ranch and work the land and their birds. With a deep sigh as she finally saw what Ryan was getting on about, she said, "But not Judy. She was never meant for this life."

"Nope," Ryan agreed. "Judy was always going somewhere and wanting to do something. She was going to be a big city cop and meet some amazing mammals and lock up notorious criminals." With a grin, he added, "And she needs someone who can take her places and introduce her to mammals. Someone who can support her in her dreams 100%."

They both looked out over the yard for a moment in quiet contemplation, then Ryan turned around and leaned back against the railing. Flicking his tail as he looked at his sister, he continued with a wave of his paw. "If you ask me," Ryan tapped his chest, "her flame in Zootopia is _so_ complicated," he jabbed his finger at his sister, "because he's a predator and her little speech caused a fight between them."

Patty-Mae's jaw went slack as her ears flicked forward. "You . . . you think Judy fell for a predator!?"_ How could her brother have already figured it out!?_

Laughing at his sister's stunned expression, Ryan said, "Having grown up with her, I can't really see her falling for anyone else." With a shrug as he closed his eyes and leaned back while a light breeze fluffed his fur, Ryan explained, "She got along well enough with bunnies, but she always seemed, I don't know, like she wasn't fully relaxed around us. She always seemed to hold back a bit, like she couldn't really be herself around other bunnies." With an ear flick and a shrug, he amended, "Well, not around me. She always seemed to relax around me, but that might have been because I always asked her what she thought it would be like when she became a cop. I never expected her to be anyone but a cop, unlike her parents and just about every other rabbit in Bunnyburrow who thought she should be a carrot farming bunny with hundreds of kits running around her feet."

With an eye roll, Patty-Mae said, "There are other jobs she could take as a rabbit besides carrot farming. A lot of does are nurses, doctors, teachers, social workers, librarians, coaches, ranchers." She said this last with a wave of her paw to indicate their own ranch.

Ryan gave her this 'dumb bunny' look and said, "Do you seriously see Judy taking any of those jobs?" Patty-Mae's ears drooped as she shook her head 'no' and Ryan then said, "You're right, she could do something besides being a carrot farmer, but that's what her parents are and a majority of her family, so that's what they expected Judy to be since she didn't show any interest in these other professions you just mentioned."

Closing his eyes again and focusing on the wind in his fur and making his ears sway as they hung down, he said, "But you should have seen Judy whenever she was with her predator friends. She really let her fur down and didn't have to pretend to be something she wasn't."

"What do you mean?" Patty-Mae asked curiously. She knew Judy hadn't dated in high school, and in college her mom and sisters started setting her up on blind dates (probably in the hopes she would get married, have a bunch of kits, and forget all about being a cop), but Patty-Mae hadn't ever really been around to see Judy with her predator friends, especially growing up as Patty-Mae was quite a bit younger than both Judy and Ryan.

Ryan shrugged, but didn't open his eyes. "Predators never tried to stuff her into some dumb rabbit mold of what she could do and what she should be." With a chuckle as he cracked an eye at his sister, he explained, "That's not to say they didn't think she was crazy for wanting to be a big city cop, but they were more open to her chasing her dream. Even if she failed, they still encouraged her because at least then she tried. Predators are all about trying. It's in their DNA, you might say." With a chuckle, Ryan remembered the play Judy put on when she announced her desire to be a cop.

With a flick of her tan and black ears, Patty-Mae tilted her head and asked, "In their DNA?"

Nodding, Ryan turned to her and said, "Yeah. Most predators are hunters, especially the felines Judy mostly hung out with. As hunters, us prey didn't always make it easy for them to catch us, so they had to get creative and try different things in order to catch their dinner."

Patty-Mae stared at her brother a moment longer, then laughed. "Only you and Judy could talk about being eaten by a predator so nonchalantly."

This information piqued Ryan's interest and he asked, "_Judy _was talking to _you_ about getting eaten by a _predator?"_

"Well," Patty-Mae started, "not in so many words, no, but I know she's going to start dreaming about it now." With a laugh, she thought about how Judy wanted to have Nick 'taste' her, as well as complaining about how her dreams were going to go from now on.

With creased eyebrows as he tried to figure out what his sister was talking about, Ryan asked, "Patty, what are you talking about? Why would Judy start dreaming about being eaten by a predator?" With a slight head shake, he questioned, "She's not planning to visit the predator refugee camp, is she?" Although he knew Judy was feeling depressed about the state of Zootopia after her press conference, but visiting one of the refugee camps wouldn't solve anything.

With a swipe of his paw, Ryan stated, "Because she _will_ be eaten if she goes there as there are a _lot_ of really angry predators there, some of who are breathing out threats about wanting to put her on the chopping block." Although he knew they wouldn't _literally_ eat Judy, Ryan had heard from a friend who delivered food and supplies to the camp that there were more than one predator who blamed Judy for their misery and misfortune, and so promised to tear Judy apart should they ever find her.

Some of Patty-Mae's mirth deserted her while thinking of the refugee camp and wondering if Nick was rotting away in one of the camps. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Nope." With a small chuckle returning while thinking of her love-struck friend, Patty-Mae explained, "Let's just say I hope no one else in town is as observant as you are when it comes to Judy or she's going to be in a whole lot of trouble a lot sooner than she needs to be."

Tilting his head as his nose twitched in confusion, Ryan asked, "What are you talking about?"

In the way of an answer, Patty-Mae pulled out her phone and sent him a text of Judy's number saying, "Judy wanted me to give you her number with the understanding that you know that she has officially friend-zoned you." As Ryan pulled out his phone to look at the text, Patty-Mae then pulled up the photo of Nick and spun her phone around to show her brother, saying, "Ryan, I'd like you to meet Nick Wilde, Judy's complicated flame in Zootopia and the mammal she hopes to take as her mate."

Ryan had just opened the text from Patty-Mae when she flashed him her phone, so he'd hardly glanced at the photo she showed him. But then his eyes widened and his gaze jumped back to her phone. Grabbing it from her paw, he exclaimed, "Wait! Judy fell for a _fox!?_ A _red_ fox!? After Gideon clawed her!?"

Patty-Mae could only laugh at her brother's response. "Well, if Nick did half the stuff for me that he did for Judy, then I'd probably fall for him, too." At Ryan's dumbfounded gaze, she gave him a rundown on everything Nick had done for Judy in saving her life and her career. While he stood there gaping at her in astonishment, Patty-Mae added, "It's like you said, Judy needs someone who can take her places, introduce her to different mammals, and support her a 100%."

With a head shake and a laugh of his own, Ryan exclaimed, "_One hundred percent!?_ Nick must have put in two hundred percent to support her!"

"Well," Patty-Mae said with a chuckle, "He did agree to be her police partner and filled out the ZPA application."

"Wait! He was going to be a cop, too!"

"Hmm, that's right. Nick was going to join Judy in her dream."

"Really?" With a head shake, Ryan murmured, "Wow. I can see why she wants him."

"Exactly," Patty-Mae said as her tail started twitching slowly with excitement. "Which is the other reason I brought you up here." As Ryan met her gaze, Patty-Mae quickly explained how Judy was not ready to give up on Nick, even after their fight. Patty-Mae then explained how she and Judy had planned a trip to the mountains in order to fix up Judy's cabin which she inherited from her grandmother, who, coincidently, had _also_ fallen for a predator.

It only took a moment of thought for Ryan to agree to join them. As long they were home in time for the barrel racing competition Saturday afternoon, then Ryan was more than happy to help. How could he pass up the chance to spend some quality time with his sister and friends in the mountains while being able to put his paws to work? It was a win-win situation all the way around.

Excited about getting her brother's help, Patty-Mae gave Ryan a quick hug then sent Judy a text, letting her know that both Joey and Ryan were on board for the cabin-fixing trip and that she looked forward to seeing Judy the next afternoon to finalize their plans. After excitedly giving her brother another quick hug and a thank you, which he returned with a laugh, Patty-Mae quickly climbed from the treehouse and headed inside to her room to start packing for their upcoming trip. In her opinion, it was never too early to start packing for a trip because you were bound to forget something important if you packed the night before or the day of.

Ryan watched his sister leave but didn't immediately follow her. Turning around to look back over the yard again, his thoughts were miles away. He was happy for Judy, that she finally found someone to rely on, someone who had her back and could live her dream with her. And he truly hoped Judy was able to find Nick and make it up to him. After hearing everything Nick had done for Judy, Ryan couldn't imagine Judy finding another mammal as devoted to her as Nick had been for those few short days they worked together on her case.

Now it was just a matter of seeing if Nick was male enough to set his anger (and his pride) aside and chase her down. Nick knew where Judy lived, so if the todd wanted things to be made right, he had to be the one to make the first move. With a heavy sigh, Ryan thought, _I hate these kinds of waiting games_. Hoping Nick would prove to be the bigger male and hunt Judy down (considering he was a predator and Judy was his ancient prey, it should be easy to do), Ryan then turned and made his way back down to the woodworking barn. If they were going to be fixing up Judy's cabin, then he needed to see what materials they already had so he would know what they still needed to pick up tomorrow.

...

The sun was setting and shining its gold and red rays through the window as Nick sat on the bed strumming his guitar while thinking of a good song to play for Judy. While he was scoping out Bunnyburrow earlier, Shaylee had texted him saying she had some music videos that she made from a bunch of Judy's photos and suggested he might want to do the same. She also informed him that she had a video of Judy she recorded that evening which was a must for him to watch when they met tonight. Nick had told her he was looking forward to the videos, that he would take her advice and make some videos himself, and that he would see her at 10.

Now he sat thinking while strumming a mindless little tune on the guitar. There was so much he wanted to say to her, so much he needed to apologize for, that he was struggling with where to start. He finally decided to start with a song to let her know how much he missed her, and how much he regretted walking out on her.

Setting his guitar down on the bed long enough for him to set up his phone and press record, Nick sat back on the bed and picked up his guitar as he faced the camera and started talking. "Hey, Carrots, I'm sure this is the last thing you expected from me, but a wise bunny told me earlier today that I should make some videos to share with you, to let you know what I'm thinking and to make it easier to say what I need to say." Taking a deep breath, Nick then added, "So here goes."

Strumming on the guitar, Nick focused on his fingers as he said, "I arrived here in Bunnyburrow yesterday." Glancing up at the camera, he explained, "That was Monday." Returning his gaze to the strings of his guitar, Nick continued his introduction. "I met with your sister Shaylee at your family's vegetable stand late this morning and gave her a note to give you," with his ears folding back in annoyance, he continued, "but your specist sister Mandy intercepted it and now wishes to run me out of town." Glancing back at the camera, Nick added, "Seeing as I'm a _todd_ and not a _buck_, she seems to think I'm going to hurt you worse than I already have when I walked out on you back at the press conference." With a smirk and flick of his ear, Nick murmured, "I'm still waiting to hear why she thought I was a _hare_."

Chuckling as he shook his head, Nick turned back to his guitar and strummed the strings again while saying, "Anyways, Mandy told Shaylee that you thought I hated you and I'm here to tell you that is 100 percent _not_ true." Glancing at the phone again as his fingers continued strumming the strings, Nick said, "Was I hurt? _Absolutely_. Was I disappointed? _Immensely_. Was I angry? _Unimaginably so, yes_. But did I _hate_ you? _Never_."

His strumming slowly took on a tune as he glanced down a moment and said, "I'm still angry, but I'm no longer angry at you." With a head shake, Nick said, "I'm mad at myself." Glancing back up, he explained, "I shouldn't have disappeared like I did. I should have come back after a few days so we could discuss what happened."

Stopping his strumming for a moment, he pointed towards the camera and said, "But for the record, I did try seeing you in the hospital but no one would let me get past the front doors nor tell me which room you were in." Turning back to his guitar, Nick continued, saying, "Your parents showed up while I was there, but by the way your mom was complaining about the state of the city and how bad the predators were becoming, I figured if I approached them I'd probably wind up spending the night in jail." With his ears splayed to the side, Nick muttered, "I should have tried harder to see you, though." Shaking his head, Nick said, "I shouldn't have given up."

Flicking his ears forward as he pushed down the melancholy mood, Nick started playing the opening strains of _Always Something There to Remind Me_ by Naked Eyes. "Back to me making this video. This song lets you know how I felt about you since last we met."

Taking a deep breath, Nick began singing, "I walk along the city streets you used to walk along with me. And every step I take reminds me of just how we used to be. Oh, how can I . . . forget you girl . . . when there is _always_ something there to remind me? Always something there to remind me."

Nick's rich baritone filled the air, along with the strains of his guitar, as he finished the song and then sat strumming his guitar for several moments. Finally shaking himself out a memory-induced stupor, Nick lightly pressed his fingers over the strings to stop the music and turned back to the camera. "I don't know what the future holds for us, Judy, but I haven't been able to forget in you even once in the last 4 months. I think of you throughout the day and image haunts my dreams at night. I wasn't sure how I felt about you when I arrived yesterday, but after hearing more about you I see that I totally misjudged you, and I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me and that we can see each other soon." Setting his guitar next to him, Nick stood up and walked over and picked up his phone, but before he stopped the recording he looked at the camera and said, "I really miss you, Judy." Then he cut off the recording and carried his phone back to his bed.

Staring at the phone, Nick pulled up Judy's phone number and sat staring at it for several moments. Seemingly without his control, his thumb moved over to the call button and hovered there. Just before Nick pressed the button, there was a knock on his bedroom door which startled him, causing him to drop the phone on the bed.

"Hey, Nick, that's some real good playing you're doing in there," Gideon's voice carried through the door. "Would you . . . would you play a few songs for me?" Shuffling back and forth on his feet as his tail swished behind him, Gideon added, "If . . . if it's not too much of a bother."

Nick hurriedly turned his phone off and stuffed it back in his pocket. "No problem, Gideon, just give me a sec and I'll be out." Grabbing his guitar from where it still lay on the bed, Nick met Gideon in the living room where they spent the next couple of hours playing, singing, laughing, and talking. It was a very enjoyable evening—the first one he'd had in far too many years to recall.

...

Judy sat on her bed in her room fiddling nervously with her phone. It had been a long, eventful day but it had left her with more hope of seeing Nick sooner (rather than later) than she had when she awoke this morning. Meeting Ryan after all these years and realizing he once had a crush on her was a surprise to say the least, but she hoped they could still be friends. The fact he accepted their invitation to help fix up her grandma's cabin was a huge plus and gave her hope that they would be good friends in no time.

And then there was Patty-Mae. Finding such a good friend in her was a huge surprise, but one Judy wouldn't complain about. Judy felt like she had been looking for a friend like Patty-Mae for a very long time. The only other real close prey girl friend she'd had was Sharla Woolerton. They used to do everything together and was one of the few mammals that Judy could talk about anything with as Sharla never judged her. And other than her predator friends, Sharla was one of the few mammals who actually supported and encouraged her to chase her dream of being a big city cop.

But then Sharla's family moved away halfway through high school. At first, they kept close contact through writing and calling, then emailing each other when that became a big thing. But over the years, they lost contact. They did see each other briefly a couple of years ago when Sharla returned for a visit as she still had a lot of extended family living here in the area, but that was it.

But now, meeting Patty-Mae, she found the same supportive kind of friend in her that she had in Sharla. Maybe more so, as she could talk to Patty about her predatory interests in a fox whereas she wasn't sure she would be able to talk about Nick in the same way with Sharla. Although Sharla didn't mind most predators, Gideon had left such a bad taste in Sharla's mouth that couldn't stand foxes. Luckily, she wasn't as bad as her dad with thinking she needed to carry a fox taser around with her, but she definitely thought they were a slight on society they could do without.

Which was why Judy was especially glad she had met Patty-Mae who could even tease her about taking Nick as her mate. Remembering how her new friend teased her, _and about what_, had Judy's ears and nose turning a dark shade of pink. She still couldn't believe the questions Patty-Mae had asked her and the points she had made about being with Nick.

Dropping her phone to the bed, Judy pulled her ears over her face. "Oh, Patty-Mae, why did you have to ask those particular questions?" she moaned. Even if Nick did come looking for her and they _were_ able to fix their broken friendship, would he ever see her as something more? _Could_ he see her as something more? She was just a dumb bunny who treated him horribly.

Releasing her ears to rub her face, Judy then looked back down at her phone. Shaylee had suggested she make some videos or something to show Nick when she finally met him. Her sister said it might be easier for Judy to get her thoughts out if she did. Taking another deep breath and trying to get her emotions under control, Judy picked up her phone and turned it on. With another breath and twitch of her nose, she turned the camera on and switched it to self-portrait, then set it on the top of her pillow and leaning against the headboard.

Turning the recorder on, she moved her paw to smooth down her shirt in an attempt to hide her nervousness. She shouldn't be nervous, she was alone, but Nick might see this one day and that idea set butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Taking another deep breath, she looked back at the camera and said, "Um, hi, Nick." Glancing around her room briefly, her gaze returned to the camera as she continued, saying, "I'm not sure you'll ever see this, but if you do, I just . . . I just wanted to . . ." Another deep breath as she fiddled with her paws. "I just wanted to let you know how very, _very _sorry I am for . . . for how I treated you. I was a _horrible_ friend. And I . . . I was small minded and thoughtless. You did so much for me and I . . ."

With a sniffle, tears began flowing down her cheeks as she thought of how much she hurt Nick. "Nick, you were the best friend a bunny cop could ever have and I, I stabbed you in the back." With a sob, Judy wiped a paw across her eyes to try and stem some of the tears. "I never meant to hurt you, Nick. You were there for me when no one else was. You not only stood up for me, you joined me in my dream and helped me prove I was a real cop. You were the only one, Nick. The only one to do that for me and I . . . I hate myself for the way I treated you."

Glancing away from the camera as she swiped her arm across her eyes, Judy tried to get her thoughts, _and her emotions_, back under control. With a deep breath as she sniffled again, Judy looked back at the camera and said, "I'm not afraid of you, Nick. I was never afraid of you. I just . . ." Looking down at her paws for a moment, Judy then looked up. With a deep breath while her nose twitched, another tear slipped down her cheek. "It wasn't you I was afraid of."

Wiping her tears again, Judy continued, saying, "It wasn't you, it was . . . it was everything else." Another deep breath as she considered her words. "I had to try 100 times harder than everyone else to get where I was, and still no one took me seriously. Being the first rabbit officer, I couldn't show any weakness, no fear. So, whenever I felt weak or afraid, I buried those feelings deep down and ignored them. The fear of failing when Bogo gave me two days to solve the case. The fear of an icy death when Big's goons had us hanging over an icy grave."

Taking a deep breath and smoothing out her shirt again, her ears drooped a bit as she said, "The run from Manchas, sneaking past the wolves, having Otterton nearly bite my face off and then that tiger tried to take a bite out of you." Shaking her head and running a paw down one of her ears, Judy then waved her paw through the air. "Having my parents call and nearly getting caught was absolutely terrifying in its own right. Falling down that waterfall was pretty scary, too."

Sighing as her gaze dropped down to her paws, she said, "Everything was so scary, but I couldn't let myself feel it. I couldn't panic. I had a job to do and a case to close." Looking back and staring directly into the camera, Judy said, "I had to protect you, _a civilian_, a civilian I had absolutely no right to drag around with me. But I was so desperate to prove myself and you had the resources I so desperately needed." With her voice dropping as guilt suddenly swamped her, she whispered, "I'm sorry for using you, Nick. I should have given you my pen after giving me the limo clue. I should never have dragged you into my case." As another tear slipped down her cheek, she added softly, "I was wrong to do that, Nick. I'm sorry."

Sniffling as she wiped at her treacherous eyes, Judy returned to her earlier thought. "Anyway, it wasn't you I was afraid of." Looking back at the camera, she said, "When you bared your teeth and claws at me, something in me snapped and all that fear I had buried and ignored for the last two days just erupted from me and . . . and . . . I'm sorry, Nick. I'm am _soo_ sorry." With another sob, Judy reached over and stopped the recording, but left the phone sitting on the pillow and leaning up against the headboard.

Grabbing her pillow, Judy didn't notice her phone slip off onto the mattress as she buried her face in it. Sobbing as the fear, loneliness, and guilt engulfed her once more, she soaked her pillow with her tears.

Being physically exhausted from the long day and emotionally drained from finally facing the emotions she'd kept bottled up since the press conference, Judy cried herself to sleep. But unlike all the previous times she had cried, this cry had a more cleansing affect. Even if Nick hadn't seen the video yet, she had been able to get her apology out. She had also faced her fears and the guilt she felt over her actions and had finally started dealing with them instead of running from them. So Judy slept very soundly that night with no disturbing dreams to afflict her until the wee hours of the morning. Though to say the dreams that finally came were an 'affliction' could be debated as they revolved around Nick.

* * *

**FYI:** The **Black Dragon** or the **Black Water Monitor**, is a melanistic (dark/black) population of the Southeast Asian Water Monitor lizard found in Thailand (once thought to be a subspecies). The Southeast Asian Water Monitor is a subspecies of the Asian Water Monitor, which is one of the most common lizards in Asia and is the second heaviest lizard in the world, next to the Komodo Dragon. Asian Water Monitors are semiaquatic and typically live in brackish wetlands and mangrove swamps. They typically don't exceed 6.6 feet long, but one lizard in Sri Lanka grew to be 10.5 feet long. Their weight ranges from 17 pounds up to 45 pounds, with a few of the largest males weighing over hundred pounds. They are dark brown or black in coloring with a lighter colored belly. They also have yellow spots that can form a striped pattern which can slowly fade with age.

The Asian Water Monitor eats a wide range of different animals, such as frogs, fish, rodents, crabs, birds, snakes, and even baby crocodiles are not safe from them. They are excellent swimmers and climbers. When being hunted by say, a cobra, they'll climb trees to escape, and if that doesn't save them, they'll leap down into pools and streams of water and swim to safety. An interesting fact about the Water Monitors found in Thailand: the Thailand word for 'monitor' is _hia_ and is used as an insulting word to refer to bad or evil things, including bad people. The word is also thought to bring bad luck, so some people refer to the lizards as 'silver-and-gold' to avoid the jinx.

The **Rock Monitor** lizard lives in Central, East, and Southern Africa and is the second longest lizard, _and the heaviest_, found on the African continent (the Nile Monitor is the longest lizard found in Africa). Males typically weigh an average of 18 pounds, but large mature males can weigh an upwards of 33-37 pounds. They can grow to be 6.7 feet long (about 2 meters) but are generally only about 3-5 feet long. Their bodies and tails are the same size, as are their heads and necks. They have a bulbous nose, with their forked tongue being pink or bluish. They are a mottled grayish-brown with white or yellow markings. There are several photos I found online that looked like the lizards were decked out in military camo due to their mottled coloring.

The **Black-Throated Monitors** are a subspecies of the Rock Monitor and is native to Tanzania. They can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh more than 60 pounds. They are the largest of the Rock Monitor subspecies. They are generally a dark gray-brown with white or yellow markings. Although the Rock Monitors eat a large amount of tortoises and insects (millipedes, beetles, mollusks, and orthopterans—grasshoppers and crickets), the Black-Throated Monitors will eat anything they can catch.

The **White-Throated Monitors** are another subspecies of Rock Monitor and live in the southern part of Africa. They also grow to be about 2 meters (6.6 feet) long and are usually a gray-brown coloring with white or yellow markings. Their diet is the same as the Rock Monitor, with tortoises being a large part of their diet (they swallow them whole due to their hard shells), with millipedes being the second largest part of their diet, as both Rock and White-Throated Monitors are immune to their poison.

* * *

WingedKatt again. We're nearly done with Tuesday in story. Just one more chapter and we'll start on Wednesday and all the fun stuff planned. Both Nick and Judy will be having a full day. Next chapter, Shaylee will be meeting Nick so they can hide his car, and she'll also be showing Nick the video she made of Judy. How will Nick respond? We'll also get a glimpse into the 'Anti-Nick' meeting Mandy will be holding to plan how to drive him out of town.

Chapter 15: Tuesday Night, will post in 2 weeks. Stay safe and if you have any thoughts or comments, let me know. Have a great weekend.


	15. Chapter 15: Tuesday Night

WingedKatt here. Nick will be singing '_Start of Something Good'_ by Daughtry later in the chapter if you want to look it up.

* * *

It was a little after nine at night and Shaylee was headed down the hall towards Judy's room. Although Shaylee had threatened Nick if he didn't call Judy tomorrow, the whole thing was just too messed up. So, after thinking about it for a bit while recalling how heartbroken Judy was over the todd, Shaylee decided to take Judy along with her tonight. If Judy met Nick, then he wouldn't need to hide his car (they could even go for a night drive!), and her specist siblings wouldn't dare harass Nick seeing as Judy would be with him. To this end, Shaylee was going to drag Judy to town with her under the pretense that she had a huge surprise for her.

As she came up to Judy's bedroom door, Shaylee tapped lightly on the thick would, saying, "Hey, Judy? Can I come in for a minute?" Silence met her, so she knocked on the door a bit louder, calling, "Judy? Are you in there?" Still silence.

Pushing the door open just enough to pop her head in and take a look, Shaylee's ears perked forward and her eyes widened. The bedroom light was still on, but Judy was lying curled up around her pillow, fast asleep. Stepping further into the room, Shaylee shut the door behind her and walked softly over to the bed. Brushing Judy's ear back, she whispered, "Don't worry, Judy, you'll get to see Nick soon enough. I promise."

"Hmmm?" Judy murmured in her sleep. Rubbing her cheek into the pillow, she whispered, "_Nick.._."

Shaylee's ears twitched, as did her nose. She had heard rumors that Judy was a sleep talker, and if you caught her in the middle of a dream, she would even answer any question you asked her. Being much younger than Judy, Shaylee had never had the chance to find out for herself, but it was an interesting idea.

Leaning down, Shaylee lightly ran her paw down Judy's ears in a soothing manner. Whispering softly in her sister's ear, Shaylee asked, "Do you want to see Nick again?"

Judy's nose began twitching as she answered softly, "Yes." A moment later, her face scrunched up and she added, "But I hurt him. He won't see me now."

Petting her ears again in the same soothing manner, Shaylee said, "Nick forgave you. He misses you, too."

Judy's ear twitched and she rubbed her cheek into her pillow again. "He does?" she whispered sleepily.

Still petting her ear, Shaylee replied, "Yes, he does. He even came all the way from Zootopia to see you. He's here in Bunnyburrow right now."

With a small smile tugging up the corner of her mouth, Judy murmured, "He is?"

"Yep, he sure is." On impulse, Shaylee then asked, "What do you want to do when you meet him?"

A broad smile spread across Judy's mouth and her whole countenance brightened, even in her sleep. "I want to kiss him," she stated boldly.

Shaylee blinked, then slapped a paw over her mouth to keep a giggle from waking Judy up. Getting a hold of herself, she asked, "You do?" Judy nodded against her pillow and Shaylee said, "I bet if you kissed him, Nick would kiss you back."

Judy scrunched her nose up and asked softly, "Think so?"

"Hm-hm," Shaylee murmured, "I'm sure of it."

A bright smile spread across Judy's face again as she asked in a soft murmur, "What do you think his teeth will feel like when we kiss?"

Shaylee blinked, then she grinned widely. "I don't know, Judy, but I bet kissing Nick will be exciting."

Rubbing her cheek against the pillow, Judy hugged it tighter to her and whispered under breath, "Yeah, being with Nick is always exciting." Then she sighed and her breathing deepened.

"Judy?" Shaylee said while still petting her sister's ears. There was no more reply from Judy and Shaylee knew this was all the information she would get tonight. With a sigh, she wished Nick could have seen and heard this. No better way to get Nick thinking about kissing her sister than to hear it directly from Judy's own lips.

With a sigh, Shaylee shook her head. Next time she caught Judy sleeping, she'll be sure to have the camera rolling.

Glancing around the room, Shaylee walked over and pulled a patchwork quilt from the closet and covered her sister with it. Petting Judy's ears one last time, Shaylee then turned back to the door. Flipping the light off as she slipped into the hallway, she glanced back at her sister. As the pale, blue light of the nightlight shown softly upon the sleeping bunny, Shaylee whispered, "Goodnight, Judy. Sleep tight."

Walking back upstairs, Shaylee waved or spoke a few words to her siblings as she passed them. As late as it was, many were retiring to their room to do a little light reading or playing on their phones before turning in for the night. There was still a crowd in the tv room watching various shows or playing video games as there were several tv's set up in a number of different little alcoves to give the watchers a bit of privacy and to prevent the tv's from drowning each other out.

Ignoring them all, she continued climbing the stairs until she reached the main level, then made her way to the front door. Once outside, it didn't take her long to climb into her pale, clover-green jeep and head into town. Although she would be early for their 10 O'clock meet-up, Shaylee needed to talk to Nick and show him the home video she made of Judy, and if that didn't convince him to call Judy, then she was going to beat some sense into him, even if she had to borrow Gideon's rolling pin to do it.

As she had left the covering for her jeep off, Shaylee enjoyed the feel of the cool, night wind as it flowed over her ears and ruffled her fur. Thinking of the conversation she would soon have with Nick and wondering how his reaction would be to Judy's confession, Shaylee arrived at Gideon's bakery before she knew it. Pulling in behind the shop, she parked next to Gideon's truck and hopped out.

The kitchen door was locked, so Shaylee tried the side door that led directly up to the apartment. Hearing a guitar playing and some singing, her ear twitched. She was pretty sure Gideon didn't play the guitar, which meant Nick was playing. And he played good—_really good_. As she neared the top of the stairs, she could make out the voices. Gideon was singing a bit off key, but Nick—he had a smooth voice that drew you in as he put emotion into his singing. She had said it before, but Judy really did luck out in finding Nick.

Knocking lightly on the wooden door, the music stopped and then the door was opened by Gideon. "Well, hello, Shaylee," he drawled as a smile spread across his face. "You're a bit early, ain't cha?"

Shaylee returned his smile while saying, "Well, I didn't have anything better to do at the burrow, so I figured I'd just come hangout with you two." As Gideon stepped aside to let her in (and secretly pleased Shaylee wanted to hang out with them), Shaylee added, "And besides, I need to talk to Nick before we hide his car."

Looking at her from where he sat on the couch, guitar still in paw, Nick's ears perked up and his tail tip flicked with curiosity. "Oh? And what do we need to discuss?"

Gideon sat down in his recliner while watching his two curious guests. When Travis had told him Shaylee was coming over at ten because they needed to hide Nick's car at his place, Gideon thought his friend was crazy. But after thinking it over, he knew they couldn't let a _select_ _few_ of Judy's siblings find out about the car. There were several of Judy's older brothers who were strongly (that's putting it mildly) against foxes and used to bully him relentlessly. So, hearing how Shaylee was wanting to help Nick surprised him, but he was grateful to learn not _all_ of Judy's siblings were against them being friends.

Shaylee rolled her eyes at Nick's question, but grinned good-naturedly, saying, "Who do you think we need to discuss?" Plopping down on the rocking chair across from Nick, she gave him her undivided attention.

With an ear flick, Nick's brow creased, and then his eyes widened. "The video about Judy! You brought it, right!?" He had almost forgotten that Shaylee had made a video of Judy. He was really excited to see it and know how Judy was doing.

Shaylee laughed and pulled out her phone. "Of course, I did." Shaylee sent the music videos to Nick's phone first while telling him to check them out later. Then she sent him the video she had made of Judy when she returned home. Seeing his eager expression, she told him to watch it with his earplugs in, explaining the video was for his ears and eyes only.

Listening to her advice, Nick moved to his room to watch the video. Digging his earplugs out of his bag, Nick sat on his bed and plugged them into his phone and then stuck them in his ears. Pulling up the video of Judy, Nick was highly curious to see how Judy was after 4 months.

As the video started, Nick chuckled at Shaylee's opening remarks. Seeing Judy come into the barn with three emus, two of which she had bought—_one of which was for __him_—had him flabbergasted, though it was heartwarming to hear Judy's laugh. Hearing what she had named them had him chuckling again. Seeing as she named the female Toot-toot, a name he had called her, he assumed JD stood for Junior Detective, seeing as that was one of the _nicer_ things she had called him.

But then when Shaylee mentioned Mandy and how she thought Judy liked him, Nick held his breath as he waited for Judy's answer. When she admitted to liking him—really, _really_ liking him—Nick didn't know what to think. Running his claws through his head fur, he then tugged on his ear. He was a fox, Judy was a rabbit, furthermore, _she_ was _afraid_ of _him!_ How could she be interested in him if she was afraid of him!? It made no sense! That rabbit made no sense! He was a packaged deal—sharp teeth and claws included—so how could she want to be close to him!? To . . . _to date him!?_

As Shaylee asked Judy about her fears, Nick took a deep breath and tried to calm down as these were the questions he needed answered. As Judy stated that it wasn't him she was afraid of, that she found him smart and funny, squeezed his heart in an unfamiliar way. And then when she started talking about everything that _had_ scared her, how she hid it away from even herself—Nick's ears disappeared against his head while his tail and shoulders slumped.

Being a fox in Zootopia, he'd gotten used to scary situations, even life-threatening situations, so he was able to handle it better. But Judy, she was a bunny who grew up in such a (relatively) peaceful place where crime was low and where farm accidents was the second leading cause of death next to natural causes and old age.

Slapping a paw over his face as Judy continued talking about all the things that had scared her during the missing mammals' case, guilt hit Nick like a hundred-foot tsunami. He had called Judy a dumb bunny repeatedly those first two days knowing her, and yet all this time, he had been such a dumb fox without even realizing it.

Rubbing his temples, Nick took a deep breath. He'd spent a lifetime carefully constructing a mask to hide his insecurities and to keep others from knowing when they got to him, so why wouldn't Judy be wearing a similar mask? She was a rabbit stepping outside the stereotype of her species—she was going to be a big city cop. And she was going to stop at nothing (even blackmailing a fox) to prove it. _Of course_, she would need a mask to hide how hard it was and to prevent anyone from pointing out her weaknesses and giving them fuel to beat her down with, saying a weak rabbit couldn't do it, that it was impossible for a bunny to be a real cop.

With a growl, Nick pulled on his fur. He was so stupid for believing Judy's peppy, over-enthusiastic personality was all there was to her. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," Nick growled at himself.

Hearing Judy's heart-wrenching sob as she feared he hated her and could never forgive her for hurting him as everyone else had, Nick dropped his paw and looked at the phone again. Seeing Shaylee assure Judy that he didn't hate her, and he would come for her helped assuage his guilt—_slightly_.

As the video then showed a stream of young bunnies hopping into the barn hollering about dinner, Nick took another deep breath as his tail flicked in irritation at himself. He was angry now—_but not at Judy_—at himself. He could no longer be mad at Judy, not now that he knew that she _wasn't_ afraid of him, his teeth and claws _didn't_ scare him, and that she _liked_ him.

This knowledge still flabbergasted him. He'd spent his whole life being told in one form or another that he was worthless, that no one wanted. His own mother had essentially abandoned him, so how could anyone else love him? And yet here was a rabbit he hardly knew claiming to like him. That she was _interested_ in him—not the sly persona he let the world see, but the real him that he kept hidden behind his mask.

Judy was one of the few mammals who knew the fox behind the mask and yet she still _liked_ him. She _wanted_ him. This was a new idea for Nick. Although there had been a lot of females who had shown interest in him, none of them knew the real him, nor did they really care to get to know the real him. They were merely interested in his money, his connections, or the fun they thought they could have with him. Not that there weren't good vixens out there who were looking to settle down and start a family, but being a borderline criminal, it's not a lifestyle he wanted to drag a family into.

He had tried giving his heart away once, when he was much younger and not as wise, but saying the relationship didn't end well was the understatement of the year. She was a gray fox vixen who played him like a second fiddle. When he finally realized she was merely using him and confronted her about it, she laughed saying he was a fool to think she could actually love him. He stopped trusting after that and closed his heart off to love.

But now, here was Judy, a rabbit, who said she loved him (how else was he to take her words?). Not for what she could get from him but for who he was. Rubbing his forehead, Nick wasn't sure what to think or how to feel. The idea of love was so foreign to him that he honestly didn't know what to think or how to feel. But there was no denying that Judy drew his interest. And he did care about her. But was that enough to base a romantic relationship on? He didn't know, not without seeing Judy and spending more time with her.

Shaking his head, Nick focused back on the phone just as Shaylee was threatening to wring his fluffy red and white neck if he didn't call Judy. As the video ended, Nick brought up his contacts list and dialed Judy's number. He no longer cared what anyone thought of him or his relationship with the bunny who turned his life upside down and made him believe again—to believe not only in her, but also in himself.

The phone rang several times before the voice mail picked up. With his ears drooping at not getting Judy on the phone, Nick waited for the beep then said, "Hey Carrots, it's Nick. Shaylee gave me your number and if you're wondering how I know your sister, it's because I'm here in Bunnyburrow. I'm staying with Gideon over at his bakery." Nick paused a moment, knowing he didn't have a lot of time to truly say everything that needed to be said. Taking a breath, he finished with, "We have a lot to talk about, but I just want to say that I don't hate you, Judy, and I'm no longer mad at you. Call me when you get this message. I miss you."

Staring at the phone as he ended the call, Nick then sent Judy a text, letting her know he was here in town and needed to talk to her. Repeating that he didn't hate her, but missed her instead, he then told her he forgave her and hoped she could forgive him for being such a jerk. Tossing his phone on his pillow, Nick raked his claws across his head and down the back of his neck. With a low growl that was part frustration and part regret, he covered his eyes with his arm.

He had originally agreed to play Mandy's stupid game because he didn't want to subject Judy to the same level of hate and bullying that he had always received for being a fox. As much as she was bullied growing up for wanting to be a cop, it was nothing compared to what he received, sometimes on a daily basis, for being a sly, backstabbing _pelt_. It's not something he ever wanted to see Judy subjected to. But then again, if their relationship did deepen into something more, something romantic, then it was something Judy would need to get used to.

That's not to say he was planning to make it easy for Judy's siblings to harass and bully him. If they couldn't find him, or get him alone, then they couldn't hurt him could they? Even then, he was planning to go over to the rodeo ground and meet her parents. If he could get on Judy's parents' good side in offering to help set up the rodeo grounds, then they should be able to prevent the worst of the harassment. Plus, if Judy's parents approved of their friendship, then her siblings would think twice about doing anything to him.

_But now_—he still planned on meeting her parents to help with the rodeo set up (he needed to impress her parents if he hoped to gain their acceptance of his and Judy's friendship, especially if it developed into something more). But her specist siblings could jump off a bridge for all he cared. Judy needed him now and her needs were all that mattered to him.

Thinking about Judy and what the future might hold for them, a wide smile spread across his muzzle. Judy was planning to join the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol and had even bought two emus—one for her and one for him—which meant he could join her. Although he had never ridden a bird before, Nick was suddenly looking forward to having Judy teach him. And if they met up tomorrow, then they could go to the rodeo together this weekend. His grin grew a bit bigger with this idea.

He still didn't know what the future held for them, but whatever it was and however their relationship was to develop, he knew that this was the start of something good. Sitting up, Nick grabbed his phone and headed back into the living room where Shaylee and Gideon were talking.

Seeing Nick come back in the room, Shaylee raised an eyebrow and asked, "Well? Are you going to call her?"

Nick grinned, saying, "I already have." With a flick of his ear, he added, "But she didn't answer, so I left her a voicemail and a text message."

Shaylee nodded as her nose twitched. "Judy was already asleep when I left the house, otherwise I would have brought her with me."

Nick's ears perked forward. After seeing Judy in the video, he had a strong desire to see her in person, so he felt a bit bummed that she was already asleep. He really wished he could see her tonight. Sitting down, he picked up his guitar and strummed his fingers across the strings. Glancing at Shaylee, Nick replied, "Well, hopefully she'll call in the morning and we can fix what we both broke." Strumming his guitar again, Nick wondered how early Judy might get up in the morning. He wasn't normally an early riser, but he knew rabbits were, and if Judy was already in bed, then he could expect an early phone call. _Hopefully_.

Shaylee nodded, but it was Gideon who spoke up, saying, "If you're going to see Judy tomorrow morning, do we still need to hide your car?" Gideon hated the idea of having to hide such a beautiful car under a pile of moldy straw.

Shaylee's ears perked forward as she looked at Nick who had a thoughtful look on his face as he continued strumming his guitar.

Turning to glance at Shaylee, Nick asked, "How early do your specist brothers usually get up?"

Shaylee's nose twitched as she thought. "Well, Jerry usually sleeps in, but Roger and Daryl are early risers."

Nick's ear flicked and then he asked, "Earlier than Judy?"

Shaylee raised a finger and opened her mouth, then shut it and curled her finger in. "Uh, well, she used to get up really early, but of late . . . Judy's been getting up pretty late." After folding her arms, she tilted her head in thought, then said, "She has her birds now, so I imagine she'll be getting up earlier than usual, but I can't say how early." With a shrug, she added, "Roger and Daryl will probably be up before she is."

Nick nodded, then flicked his tail as he glanced back over to Gideon. "It'll probably be better if I still hide my car over at Travis's then. If Daryl or Roger decides to scope out the place first thing in the morning and stumble across it, I might not have a car by the time I wake up."

Gideon ears, shoulders, and tail slumped even as Shaylee's ears drooped. Taking a deep breath, Shaylee's nose twitched as she said, "Nick's right. Roger probably won't think to scope out the place, but Daryl certainly will, and he'll drag Roger along with him. Daryl also knows how to hotwire a car, so leaving it here for him to find is a bad idea."

Gideon gave a dejected nod of his head. The fact they had to hide Nick's classic car because a few of Judy's siblings didn't think she should be hanging out with the city fox was simply wrong on so many levels. To Gideon, it was starting to feel like he was in grade school all over again, with bullies breaking his and his friends' things just because they were foxes. Hadn't they grown up and moved past all this rubbish? With a heavy sigh, Gideon said, "So I, I, I guess we're going to Travis's after all?"

"That we are, my good fox," Nick said with a British accent (his classic car was British, after all). With a flick of his ear, Nick pulled out his phone and looked at the time. It wasn't quite ten o'clock yet, so they had a little bit of time before heading over to Travis's. Opening his camera app and switching it to record, he said, "But before that, there's another song I want to record for Judy." Handing the phone to Gideon, Nick said, "Here, you want to record it for me?"

Gideon took the phone and glanced at it before returning his gaze to Nick, who had just picked up his guitar.

Hearing Nick's comment, Shaylee's ears pricked forward. "Another song?" With a nose twitch, she added, "As in, you've already recorded a song for her?"

Nick strummed his guitar as he met Shaylee's curious (and hopeful) gaze with a wide grin. "Yes, I already recorded one song for Judy." As Shaylee beamed at him, Nick turned his attention back to Gideon, saying, "You ready to start recording?"

With a bob of his head, Gideon held the phone up, saying, "Yep, I, I'm ready." With a nod towards Nick, Gideon hit the record button.

Looking at the phone as he strummed the guitar, Nick said, "Hey, Carrots, it's me again. You should have gotten a text and voicemail message from me already, so I hope you've listened to them." With a swish of tail, Nick continued, "Anyways, your sister Shaylee," he nodded his head towards Judy's sister and Gideon panned the phone around to catch her waving.

"Hi, Judy," Shaylee said. "_Surprise!_ Nick came to town just like I said he would and _yes_, he has an awesome, black convertible."

As Gideon panned the phone back to Nick, Nick said, "So as I was saying—Shaylee showed me an interesting video tonight of you with a couple of birds." Tilting his head slightly, Nick added, "And yes, I would love to go birdback riding with you, but you'll have to teach me how to ride." Looking down at the guitar as his strumming started to take on a particular tune, Nick glanced briefly at the phone again, saying, "As I said in my earlier video—I don't know what the future holds for us, we won't know until we can see each other again, but I have faith that this is the start of something good."

Returning his attention to the guitar, Nick began playing _The Start of Something Good_ by Daughtry. Once the intro-music finished, Nick started singing, "You never know when you're gonna meet someone… And your whole wide world in a moment comes undone. You're just walking around and suddenly everything that you thought that you knew about love is gone. You find out it's all been wrong… And all my scars don't seem to matter anymore… Cause they led me here to you."

Taking a breath as he strummed the guitar, Nick then picked up on the next strain, "I know that it's gonna take some time. I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind—this might end up like it should. And I'm gonna say what I need to say, and hope to God that it don't scare you away… Don't wanna be misunderstood… But I'm starting to believe that this could be the start of something good…" Closing his eyes as he strummed the guitar, he then started singing again. "Everyone knows life has its ups and downs. One day you're on top of the world, and one day you're the clown. Well I've been both enough to know that you don't wanna get in the way when it's working out, the way that it is right now…"

After Nick finished singing the song, he looked back at the camera and said, "Carrots, my life has completely come undone since I met you, and I was a fool for cutting you out of my life so easily. I'm sorry for walking out on you, but if you give me another chance, I'll be there for you, however our lives turn out." With a teasing grin, he added, "Remember, you're the boss."

Reaching forward to end the recording, Nick took back his phone, then glanced at Shaylee to see her wide grin. Returning her grin, he pointed to her and said, "Whatever you're thinking," he swiped his paws out in from of him, "stop thinking it."

Shaylee chuckled, then said, "Oh, come on, Nick! Judy's not afraid of you and she admitted herself that she likes you." Pointing to the todd across from her with the stunning green eyes, she added, "So, I'm just curious about how you're going to respond to her confession."

Nick remained silent as he considered his answer. He wasn't the only one sitting quietly, though, as Gideon sat stunned, staring at his fellow todd with a slack jaw. Nick had acted territorial towards Judy last night when he found out that Gideon had clawed her as a kit, and the song he just sang made him wonder if the city todd wasn't developing feelings for the energetic bunny. Gideon had immediately dismissed the idea while listening to the song, as Nick was a fox and Judy was a rabbit. They sat at opposite ends of the food chain and their ancestors had been deadly enemies. A large number of rabbits were _still_ enemies to foxes.

But now, to learn that Judy liked Nick first! This was unheard of! Pointing to Shaylee in stunned silence, Gideon then pointed to Nick, then back at Shaylee as his brain tried to process the implications. "You . . . you're saying that . . . that your sister, _Judy_, likes . . ." He pointed back at Nick, "You say Judy likes _Nick!?"_

Shaylee nodded as her tail flicked behind her. Meeting Nick's gaze, she folded her arms and leaned back in the chair, then said, "Judy left her heart in Zootopia with Nick. So, I'm just wondering if he's going to keep and cherish it, or if he's planning to give it back."

Gideon looked between the two, flabbergasted that a rabbit would fall for a predator. That Shaylee was apparently supporting her sister in chasing the city fox was just as shocking. Shouldn't Shaylee be trying to chase Nick out of town, too, not encouraging him to chase after her sister?

Nick met Shaylee's curious and demanding gaze for a moment, then said, "I already told you I don't know how I feel about Judy. I won't know until I see her." At Shaylee's furrowed brow (this wasn't the answer she was hoping to hear), Nick held a finger up and said, "But I'm very much looking forward to finding out the answer to that question." With a wide grin, he added, "After watching the video, I'd say the future is looking much brighter than it did when I woke up this morning."

Shaylee's brows relaxed and a bright smile spread across her face. "Well," she started with a twitch of her nose, "as long as you're willing to at least give my sister a chance, then I have nothing to complain about."

Nick grinned happily as he held his paws up in a 'What can I say?' gesture, saying, "I'm a fox. We're naturally curious creatures and are willing to try just about anything at least once if it looks like it'll be worth our time." Glancing at Gideon, Nick asked, "Am I right?"

Gideon rubbed his paws together in a slightly nervous gesture. "I, I, I don't know about that, Nick. I, I, I kinda like to keep things safe." With a shrug, he added, "I, I was a real mess growing up and I, I like the simple life I have now."

Nick's jaw went slack for a moment, then he shook his head and said, "Well, us _city_ foxes are willing to try new things." Relaxing back on the catch, he met Shaylee's brown gaze again and said, "And right now, I'd say Judy is about the only worthwhile thing in my life."

A bright smile spread across Shaylee's face as she clapped her paws together. "Well, so long as you're willing to keep your options open when it comes to my sister, then I can expect a positive outcome."

Nick chuckled as his tail wagged happily beside him. "My options are wide open when it comes to your sister." With his ears perked forward, he added, "Like I said in the song, 'This is the start of something good,' I can feel it."

Shaylee nodded, then looked at the time. Seeing as it was just a few minutes away from ten, she said, "Well, shall we hide your car? It should be dark enough now."

Nick and Gideon agreed, and after setting his guitar back in his room, Nick met Gideon and Shaylee at the door. After making their way down to the car, Shaylee decided to do another video for Judy, showing Nick's dedication in wanting to see her while minimizing the damage their siblings could do to him in the meantime. After explaining to Judy what they were doing, and after Shaylee pointed out that she wasn't kidding about Nick driving into Bunnyburrow in a black convertible, Shaylee climbed into her jeep as Nick and Gideon climbed into his convertible.

They kept their headlights off until they were out of town, and it was a good thing Nick had good night vision because the night was dark with clouds hiding the moon's bright light. Shaylee had to keep right on Nick's tail in order to see his vehicle, but they made it out of town without incident.

Gideon was on cloud nine as they sped down the highway in the black convertible. The night was warm, so once it was safe to turn their headlights on, Nick put the top down and let the night air flow through their fur. Following Gideon's directions down one country lane and then another, past cultivated fields and bird pastures, and then through a wooded area, they made it to Travis's place in good time. Upon arriving, Travis met them in the yard and then showed them where the tractor shed was that they could park the classic car in.

After the trio exited the two vehicles, Travis introduced his wife to them (she was impressed with Nick's classic car, too, and couldn't wait to take a spin in it). Travis then told them more about the place. The land had belonged to his great-grandparents on his mother's side. The house he and Tiffany lived in was the same house his grandparents had built and was where his mother had been born. His mother had inherited the place upon the death of his grandparents, but she never told his dad about it or he would have immediately sold the place to pay for his drinking habit.

But then Travis's dad died of liver failure caused by his excessive drinking and his mother moved back to her childhood home to finish out her years. The severe abuse she had suffered at his dad's paws during their marriage had taken a toll on her and Travis's mom died a couple of years ago, leaving the house to him.

This information left everyone a bit dejectedly, especially Nick. Although he didn't have an alcoholic father (his dad had been extremely devoted to his mom when he was still home), living on the streets, Nick had seen plenty of drunken, abusive homes in the poorer side of town where he was forced to live much of his younger years. It's one of the main reasons he normally avoided alcohol, with a few months ago being an exception as he tried to drown out Judy's memory in a bottle. Needless to say, he was never doing that again. He had learned his lesson the hard way.

Nick was lifted from his melancholy mood, though, after Travis mentioned that his great-great-grandparents' original homestead was still on the property. Being the antique buff that he was, Nick was interested in seeing the place. Travis didn't have a problem, and after grabbing a flashlight and the keys to the place, he led the group through the woods to the homestead his great-great-grandfather had built. It was a quaint little cabin partially built into the side of a hill and surrounded by lilac and rose bushes, as these two flowers were Travis's great-great-grandmother's favorite.

After unlocking the door, Travis let Nick enter first. Stepping inside, Nick felt like he was stepping back in time. The place had an ancient, earthy scent to it that spoke of the long span of time it had stood standing. The scent wasn't unpleasant and Nick took a deeper breath. Thinking of the cabin's age, he wondered what stories the walls had to tell?

Looking around, he took notice of the spacious open floor plan, with the living room taking up the first half of the building and opening up into the kitchen and dining area situated at the back of the house. To the right was the master bedroom, the bathroom, and a large storage closet. To the left of the living room were two more bedrooms. And considering the place was built by ferrets, the rooms could be considered spacious. The place looked like it was built more for red foxes than the smaller-sized ferrets.

But as interesting as the size and layout of the home was, what really caught Nick's attention was the antique furniture, quilts, rugs, and wall-hangings. Going through the house, Nick started rattling off the names and dates of the various items, which left both ferrets and the rabbit doe slack jawed. The only reason Gideon wasn't just as dumbfounded was that he had already seen Nick in action back with his own antique furniture.

Nick was surprised to see how well everything had been kept up with, though, and after asking Travis about it, the ferret explained that his grandparents kept up the place, seeing as his mom always took refuge here whenever she needed to get away from his dad for a few days. Upon inheriting the place, Travis took it upon himself to fix the place up and keep it nice as this is where his best memories of his mom were. She was safe from his dad here and always seemed to be smiling whenever she stayed.

Nick nodded, then after another tour of the place, he decided he better get home and to bed if he wanted to be up early. Who knew how early Judy might wake up, not to mention her specist siblings? And depending on how early or late Judy called, Nick wanted to help Gideon in the bakery while waiting for her call. Everyone agreed that it was time to head home as they all planned to be up early. After saying goodbye, with Nick thanking Travis once again for letting him hide his car there, the two foxes climbed into the jeep with Shaylee. The drive back to town was a quiet affair as each was lost in their own thoughts.

After dropping her foxy friends off, Shaylee headed home with a wide smile on her face. After Judy woke up and got Nick's messages, Mandy's stupid little game will come to an end and Judy will be able to mend her broken friendship with Nick and everything will be great. And before long, she'll have a foxy outlaw for an in-law (Nick had admitted to being a hustler when Judy found him). After imagining Judy's and Nick's wedding, Shaylee's smile slipped as she wondered how it would all work. Would they even be allowed to marry? With them being a pred-prey couple, Shaylee doubted the city council would agree to their marriage. After several minutes of trying to come up with a way for them to get married, Shaylee set the unsettling question aside. Nick and Judy could worry about it once they hooked up. Between the two, she was sure they could come up with a solution.

With her smile back in place, Shaylee arrived home and made her way down to her room. Upon crawling into bed, she fell asleep while planning out Judy and Nick's wedding. By the time sleep claimed her, Shaylee already had Judy's dress picked out, the cake made, and the flowers arranged.

...

With the lights turned low, Mandy sat in the far corner of the machine shop where they fixed all the broken farm equipment. She was sitting among her siblings whom she felt would most likely help her in driving Judy's fox from town. The fact Judy found the shifty fox physically attractive made her sick to her stomach. No rabbit, _or any prey_, should be physically attractive to a fox, _a predator_. To get that close to a mammal whose ancestors once ate their own was sickening and had Mandy's head spinning. _How could Judy be attracted to a fox!_ _To the point that she was crying over him, dreaming about him, and constantly thinking about him!?_

After explaining to her siblings why she called them to this '**Save Judy from Herself' **meeting and how they couldn't let Judy know her crush was in town, many of her siblings felt the same way. Several of her sisters and a pawful of her brothers were utterly disgusted with the idea that Judy wanted to chase a fox, while several others were trying to figure out what dirty tricks the fox had played on their sister to make her fall for him.

There were a few voices who pointed out that Judy was a big girl and could take care of herself, but after Mandy explained how this city todd had already walked out on Judy once, leaving her an emotional mess to the point he disturbed her sleep and left her bawling her eyes out, they changed their tune. If the fox had hurt their sister so deeply once already, they weren't going to give him a second chance to do even worse damage.

Once Mandy explained they had a week to drive the fox from town while keeping Judy home and in the dark of the fox's presence, her siblings began throwing out ideas on how to get rid of the unwanted fox. A few of her brothers wanted to get physical with the fox, but after Mandy explained the deal she made with Shaylee and how she would tell not only Judy about the fox and what they were up to, but Mom and Dad, too, her brothers scrapped that idea. Ever since their Dad started working with Gideon Gray, they hadn't been able to get away with some of the stuff they used to in the past (their Dad no longer condoned them bullying the predators in town).

With physical violence out the window, they had to come up with some non-violent means to drive the fox from town. One of their sisters, Corrina, suggested they talk to the shop owners in town to ban the fox from entering them. This was agreed upon, but expanded to include not just Nick, but Gideon and Travis, as well. Seeing as the city fox was staying with Gideon, if Nick couldn't enter the stores himself, then he could just send Gideon or Travis in to get what he wanted. Although not every store or restaurant would agree to their request, quite a few would, they were sure.

While most were discussing this idea to ban the foxes and the ferret from the business establishments, a small group of the brothers, namely Daryl, Jerry, Roger, Stanley, Billy, and Larry, were discussing some of the pranks they pulled off in middle school and high school. They wouldn't actually _hurt_ the fox, but they would leave the filthy pelt miserable as several of the pranks involved laxatives and other unpleasant substances. It simply came down to a matter of when and where to use them. First off, they would have to stake out Gideon's place and figure out the fox's habits before they could determine the best time and place to catch the city fox unaware.

With several ideas discussed for how to drive the city fox from town, the meeting broke up, with Daryl, Roger, and Billy deciding to head over to Gideon's bakery at first light to see what they could find out about the filthy fox whom their sister was unnaturally fond of.

* * *

WingedKatt here again. We're finally finished with Tuesday! Yay! We'll start in on Wednesday in the next chapter. We'll also see Judy starting her day, Bonnie is going to derail Shaylee's plans for the day, and Nick will finally get around to watching all those music videos Shaylee made of Judy. So we'll see what happens.

Chapter 16: Early Wednesday Morning, will post in 2 weeks, on Sept. 18th. Take care and have a great weekend. Stay safe. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.


	16. Chapter 16: Early Wednesday Morning

**WingedKatt here.** Nick will be playing _Something Wild_ by Lyndsey Stirling later in the chapter. He'll also be listening to the music videos Shaylee made. So here's the list if you want to listen to them, too. _She Can_ by Alabama, _It Must Be Love_ by Alan Jackson, _We Found Love_ by Boyce Avenue, _Something Just Like This_ by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay, _She's Everything_ by Brad Paisley, _God Gave Me You_ by Blake Shelton, _Somebody_ by Bryan Adams, _No One Else On Earth _by Wynonna, _Alone _by Heart, and _My Escape_ by Ravenscode.

* * *

Judy woke slowly. She wasn't quite ready to wake up as she was having some warm, fuzzy dreams about Nick. Although most of the dreams had faded to just impressions and flashes of what was happening, she did recall the dream she woke up from. She and Nick were enjoying a night ride on JD and Toot-toot. The moon was bright and full and when they stopped to look at the stars, Nick leaned over and stole a kiss from her.

Blushing slightly at the heated memory, Judy brought a paw up and lightly touched her lips. What would it feel like to kiss Nick? As she had no experience with kissing, she couldn't even begin to imagine what kissing her fox would feel like. What would his tongue feel like pressed against her own? Or his teeth when she brushed up against them with her tongue? How would his tongue feel in her mouth?

Running her tongue over her own teeth, Judy tried to imagine it, but as her dreams lacked any type of sensory perception, she couldn't even begin to guess. With a heavy sigh, she released her pillow and rolled over onto her back. Resting her arm above her head, she stared at the ceiling, even as her ears blushed a bright red as she realized where her thoughts were headed. With a groan, she glanced over at her clock and saw that it wasn't quite five yet. She might even be up before her parents.

Well, she was awake now, so there was no point in staying in bed. Rolling out of bed, Judy figured a hot shower would be a good start to the day. After gathering her stuff (and being surprised she'd fallen asleep in her clothes last night), she made her way down the hall to the girls' bath and shower room. For once, she was the only one in there and the peace and quiet was heavenly.

Stepping into the hot water, Judy took a minute to enjoy the hot spray and then she grabbed her shampoo and lathered herself up. It was a relatively new shampoo she started using a couple of months ago, and, considering the recent revelation she had about her feelings for Nick—she now knew _why_ she bought it. Well, she already knew part of the reason—the shampoo was violet scented, which of course reminded her of Nick. His strong fox musk was a bit off-putting when she first met him, but when she sat or stood right next to him, she always caught the scent of violets. It was a strange smell coming from a fox but comforting at the same time.

So, when she found this shampoo advertising a new violet scent, she bought it without a second thought. It was a little bit more expensive than her normal brand, but she didn't care. The familiar scent of violets which reminded her of Nick was well worth the little extra money. At the time, she didn't question herself too much on the reason why she wanted the reminder of Nick's scent other than he was her friend and she missed him. But now that she knew she had fallen for the slick todd, her wanting his scent on her made more sense. Especially since she couldn't think of any other friend she would want to smell like. Just Nick.

As the thick, violet scented suds washed the last of the sleep from her mind and body, Judy became even more aware of the naughty little thoughts about Nick—especially now that she smelled like him. Or at least, she smelled like a part of him. And at this point, she wouldn't mind smelling his heady fox musk, either. And if Nick were to, say, rub his scent all over her, she wouldn't complain in the least. With thoughts of Nick filling her head again (they never really left), she once again considered her ride yesterday and how her new friend had teased her about him.

The thoughts Patty-Mae had given her yesterday (the ones that were making her blush), along with the fear that Nick might never see her as anything more than a friend (that would devastate her), were still chasing themselves around in her head. This meant she needed a better distraction than a hot, quiet shower—_a hot, quiet shower that smelled deceptively like Nick_.

Taking a deep breath, Judy stepped from the shower and quickly dried off and dressed, then returned to her room for her hat and riding gloves. Looking around and not seeing anything else she needed, Judy headed upstairs for some breakfast, not once thinking about her phone hiding under her pillow on the bed. Out of sight, out of mind.

Making herself a fruit salad for breakfast and a large glass of almond milk, Judy sat down at the breakfast bar to eat. She was just finishing up when her mom came into the kitchen.

"Oh," Bonnie said in surprise. "Good morning, Bun-bun. I wasn't expecting to see you up so early."

Judy shrugged, then swallowed her mouthful to answer, "Um, yeah. I fell asleep early last night, so I woke up early." With a flick of her ear, she added, "I didn't see any reason to stay in bed once I was awake, so here I am." With a weak smile (she hoped her mom wasn't going to bring up anymore bucks she thought Judy should be dating), she took a long sip of her almond milk.

Bonnie hummed happily to see her daughter up and about without the depression that had been hanging around her like a dark cloud. Now if she could just meet a nice buck and actually give him a chance, maybe she could expect grandkits from Judy by Christmas. That would be a nice Christmas present. . . Well, at least a wedding by Christmas. If Judy could just find a nice buck to marry, someone like her father, a lot of Bonnie's worries for her headstrong daughter would be put to rest.

Stu was such a stabilizing force in her life that Bonnie couldn't imagine living without him. He was her rock and safe haven to weather the storms of life and Bonnie desperately prayed for her little bun-bun to find someone she could confide in, someone to give her strength when things got tough, just as Bonnie had found this strength in Stu. And then, finding someone to share the joys of motherhood with was Bonnie's greatest joy and triumph. Was it too much to hope her own daughter could finally discover the same joy and triumph, too?

Bustling about the kitchen, Bonnie stole furtive glances at her daughter as she began pulling out bowls and pans to start breakfast, but Bonnie wasn't quite sure what to say. It was so rare of them to find a moment alone, and with Judy's recent depression, she didn't want to break the relatively happy mood her daughter was currently in. Finally, she asked, "Are you going to be working with your birds this morning?"

Bonnie had been surprised to hear Judy had bought two birds but figured if she was using the birds in Search and Rescue, having two mounts made good sense. She might need a separate mount to carry an injured hiker back on.

"Um, yeah," Judy said around a mouthful of food. "I'm planning on working with them in the round pen to get a feel for them, then I want to ride them along the fence line to see how they handle in open country." Bonnie nodded to her and Judy focused back on her breakfast.

Catching her mom alone in the kitchen left Judy feeling a bit awkward. The silence stretched out and she just wanted to hurry and finish before her mom started in on her non-existent love-life. As much as she loved her mom, she hated all the blind dates her mom was constantly trying to set her up on (most of the bucks were nice enough, but they were either dull or self-absorbed and left little in the way of conversation or excitement). And now that she knew she loved Nick (who interested and excited her on so many didn't levels), there was no way she could go on another pointless blind date, not even to please her mom or ease some of her worries.

No, the next time she went on a date (even if it took her twenty years or more) it was going to be with Nick and then she'll finally get to experience all the joy and happiness she had seen her sisters gushing about when they were dating or getting married. If it was with Nick, then Judy could actually picture herself as a bride. But would Nick even want her for a bride?

She immediately retreated from this dismal thought as it was likely to plunge her back into depression—a place she did _not_ want to go. With a slight shake of her head, she pushed the negative thought back down. She had to keep telling herself that sooner or later, she would win Nick over. She just needed to find him and apologize first.

Bonnie hummed a simple little tune as she prepared for the day, all the while she kept glancing over at her daughter. It was very reassuring to see Judy's appetite had returned. She and Stu had worried that Judy had become anorexic or something with as little as she'd been eating lately. It wasn't healthy and she and Stu had discussed possibly taking her in to see a doctor or a therapist or something. But now, it looked like the worst of Judy's depression had passed and she now had a new goal to work towards. She even had a couple of birds to keep her busy and get her mind off the past. They were also a physical reminder of her new goal, so her mental state should continue to improve.

As Judy finished her fruit salad and glass of almond milk, she carried them to the sink and quickly rinsed and washed the bowl, glass, and spoon, then set them in the dish drainer to dry. Turning to kiss her mom on the cheek, she said, "I'll see you later, Mom. Love you."

Bonnie opened her arms and gave Judy a tight hug. _Oh, she had missed her happy, little girl_. "Bye, honey," she replied. "I love you so much, never forget that."

Judy nuzzled her mom's cheek, then stepped back from the hug. With a wave, she then turned and headed out the back door, intent on getting her day started.

"Be safe!" Bonnie hollered as Judy ran outside, even as a smile spread across her face. Judy had been such an active, go-getter bunny that seeing her all mopey and depressed these last several weeks was starting to make _her_ depressed. But now that was all behind them, and her little bun-bun was finally starting to act more like her peppy, enthusiastic self.

As the backdoor shut behind Judy, Bonnie's sister-in-law, Bethany, entered the kitchen from the main part of the house, along with today's breakfast crew. Turning to greet Bethany (a light-brown rabbit with a white muzzle, and dark brown ears, paws, and stripe down her back), Bonnie stepped forward and gave her a morning hug, then turned to her children and adult nieces and nephews who lived in the burrow. With a happy hum, Bonnie, with Bethany's help, began directing everyone on their jobs so they could get breakfast ready and set out for those working in the field today or heading to the rodeo grounds to help finish setting up.

Outside, Judy made a beeline for the bird barn. Slipping inside before the sun was even up, she grabbed a halter and lead rope, then went to get Toot-toot. Seeing as she bought Toot-toot for herself, Judy decided to start with her.

Starting in the round pen and working towards the open pasture would give the two of them a chance to get used to each other. Judy understood that if the bird knew and trusted her as its rider, then it was more willing to work and not fight for control. She had to deal with more than one bird in the past who wanted to take control of the reins and ignore the wishes of its rider, usually due to poor management of its previous owner or riders.

...

While Judy was working with Toot-toot, her brothers Daryl (a solid, dark-chocolate colored buck), Roger (a medium brown rabbit with black ears, muzzle, and tail), and Billy (a light and dark-brown brindled rabbit) slipped out of the house and hopped in Daryl's extended cab diesel-engine truck. The truck was a dark tan and had been modified with a four-inch lift and large mud tires. It also had a spotlight bar across the roof with the two outer lights able to swivel around to give pinpoint spotlighting. Daryl had also added a glass pack which made the engine even louder than it already was.

Heading towards town just as the sun peeked over the horizon, the bucks talked about how cowardly the fox must be (he was a filthy pelt, after all, and everyone knew pelts always ran away, even if it meant leaving their friends behind), and bragged about how the fox would be gone by sundown.

Arriving in town, they parked the loud truck several streets down from Gideon's bakery, then hopped out and walked up the street to see what they could see. The bakery was locked up tight, so they couldn't go in and check it out. Looking around the back of the bakery, they only saw Gideon's delivery van. Billy was put out that the fox didn't have a car they could take joyriding. Roger pointed out that if the fox did have a car, it would probably be a rusted old clunker and not worth their time. Billy agreed, but still thought it would be a great way to mess with the fox.

Seeing as there wasn't anything they could do until Gideon opened the bakery, the trio returned to the front of the shop and crossed the street. Moving down to a café that had outside tables, they took a seat. While they waited for the town to come alive, they continued discussing different pranks they could play on the worthless pelt. They would start with some of the more 'harmless' ones, but if the fox didn't take the hint, they'd move on to more drastic pranks, such as putting laxatives in his food and waiting nearby with a camera rolling. If they could be sure which toilet the fox would be running to, putting superglue on the seat would also be a fun prank to play on the stupid pelt.

...

As Shaylee got up, she headed to Judy's room to see if she was awake yet. Seeing her sister's empty room, Shaylee sprinted down the long hallway, turned left and hopped up the stairs for breakfast while hoping to find Judy in the dining room. Looking over the long, crowded tables (there were 10 tables that could sit 24 bunnies each, plus several round tables along the walls that could hold eight bunnies each in a more private setting) Shaylee desperately looked for her older sister. Not seeing Judy among the many rabbits sitting around chatting and eating, Shaylee planned on heading to the barn once she finished her own breakfast.

Quickly grabbing a large bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal (and yes, it had large chunks of _real_ apples in it), she sat down at one of the round tables that hadn't yet filled up and began scarfing down her food like she hadn't eaten in days. The quicker she finished eating, the quicker she could find her sister and tell her Nick was in town. Then they could head over to Gideon's together and surprise Nick with an early morning visit. Her plans were derailed, though, when her mother showed up at her table.

"Oh, there you are, Shaylee. Today you're on rodeo duty, so hurry up and eat. Since you have a vehicle, you'll be driving a few of your siblings and cousins over with you."

Shaylee's jaw dropped, even as the oatmeal and a large slice of apple on her spoon slipped off and landed back in her bowl with a soft plop. As her ears drooped, she exclaimed, "I can't go to the rodeo today! I have things to do in town."

With a wave of her paw, Bonnie said, "There's nothing you need to do this morning that you can't do this afternoon." As Shaylee opened her mouth to argue, Bonnie cut her off. Pointing a finger at her, she said, "Now, come on, Shaylee. We all have to do our part. There's still a lot to do at the rodeo grounds and we need everyone's help. You haven't taken a shift yet this week, so today is your day."

"But Mom!" Shaylee whined.

"Don't _'__But__, Mom'_ me," Bonnie said while putting her paws on her hips. "Now, hurry up and eat. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be done, and the sooner you can go to town."

With a huff, Shaylee mumbled, "Yes, mom."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow but didn't push the issue. Turning around, she made her way around the dining room, assigning more kits to rodeo duty that had somehow escaped a shift this week.

Shaylee ate a few more bites of her breakfast but had lost her appetite. Not bothering to finish, she put her bowl on one of the dish carts for dirty dishes, then made her way outside. Glancing at her jeep, she saw her cream-colored sister, Brandi, her brothers, Ben (a dark gray buck with black ears and paws) and Aaron (a brown buck with a white muzzle and belly) already seated. Sitting in the jeep with them were her cousins, Melanie (a white doe with black spots) and Marty (a black and white brindled buck).

As she turned and headed toward the barns, Melanie hollered at her, "Hey, Shaylee, we need to get going."

Shaylee waved, saying, "I just need to talk to Judy really quick, and then we'll leave." Not waiting for a response, she sprinted to the bird barn where Judy had put her birds up the night before. She found JD easily enough, but Toot-toot and her sister were nowhere to be found. "Fudge brownies, Judy, where are you?" Shaylee muttered under her breath as she sprinted outside to the corrals. Nothing. Their family birds had already been let out to pasture, but Judy and Toot-toot were gone.

With a huff of irritation at her missing sister, Shaylee pulled out her phone and called Judy. It rang several times, then went to voicemail. Scowling now, Shaylee said, "Hey, Judy, it's Shaylee. I need to talk to you, but Mom is sending me out to help set up the rodeo." Taking a deep breath, she added, "Nick's in town looking for you. He tried calling last night, so if you see any unknown numbers in your missed calls, it's Nick. He's staying with Gideon, but Mandy wants to drive him out of town seeing as you fell for a fox and not a bunny. Anyways, call one of us. We'll talk then."

Hanging up, Shaylee then called Nick as she headed back through the barn towards her Jeep. It rang several times before a groggy fox answered.

"Allo?" Nick muttered, still half asleep. His brain kicked in a second later, telling him it might be Judy calling. Gripping the phone tighter, he pushed himself up on the bed as he spoke louder, "Judy!? Is that you?"

"Sorry, Nick," Shaylee said with a sigh. "Judy's out birdback riding and isn't answering her phone. Since you're asking, I take it she hasn't called you yet?"

Nick sighed heavily as he ran a paw down his face. With a flick of his ear, he muttered, "No, I haven't heard from her yet."

Shaylee shook her head. "She must not have checked her phone yet this morning." Walking back through the barn door, she added, "If she's riding, she might not check her phone till she's done, which could be lunchtime."

Nick sighed again as he scratched his bare chest (he slept in shorts, otherwise he got too hot at night). He was really looking forward to seeing Judy again. "Well, I guess I'll help Gideon out this morning with his pie deliveries again. If I haven't heard from her by the time we're done, then I'll head over to the rodeo grounds and offer to help. It might earn me some brownie points with your parents, and if I'm hanging around your dad then your specist siblings can't do anything to me."

Shaylee grinned. "That's an excellent idea! My mom is sending me out to help with the rodeo, too, so I'll see you there. I can even introduce you to my dad if you want. My mom will come by after lunch, and I can introduce you to her, then."

Nick's ears perked up and his tail began wagging. "Thanks, Shaylee. Having you introduce me to your parents puts some of my worries to rest."

"No problem," Shaylee replied with a smile. "Anyways, I'm about to drive down there, so I better let you go, but I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay. Thanks for the heads up. Bye." After Shaylee said goodbye, Nick sat on the bed staring at his phone. This is not how he saw his morning going. Although he was curious about what Judy was like when she rode, and totally looking forward to her teaching him to ride—_she had to call him first! _

Dropping his phone in his lap, Nick rubbed his face with both paws. Glancing at the clock he saw that it was just past six in the morning. With a groan, he fell back on the bed. It was _way_ **too** _early_ to be up! How did rabbits do it every day!?

Nick wanted to fall back asleep, but after ten minutes of lying there, he was still wide awake. As tired as he felt, his mind kept thinking about Judy. When would she check her phone? How soon would he be able to see her? What would happen between them? Nick couldn't forget Judy's admission of liking him—_**really**__ liking him_. Did it really matter that she was a rabbit and he was a fox? Judy obviously didn't see a problem with it so why should he?

But he had given up on finding love long ago, so it was hard to imagine himself in a relationship after so long. But this was with Judy and she wasn't your average, run of the mill female. She was completely dedicated and totally amazing in her own right.

Taking a deep breath, Nick reached for his phone and turned it back on (It had shut itself off after two minutes of inactivity). Pulling up the video of Judy, he watched it again. Hearing her admission of wanting to be with him pulled at his heartstrings, and then listening to her talk about her fears and the reason for her fearful reaction towards him stung his heart and brought his guilt back to the forefront of his mind.

Once again feeling bad for how he treated Judy, Nick sat up and turned on the bedside lamp, then grabbed his guitar. Thinking of all the fear Judy had felt during their otter chase, and the fear and loneliness she'd felt after their fight, he decided to record another song for her. Setting up his phone to video, he pushed record and said, "Hi Fluff, it's me again. Not too much to say this morning. I got woken up early and can't get back to sleep so I thought I'd play another song for you." Strumming the guitar, he grinned at the camera and said, "So here it goes. This song is called, _Something Wild _by Lyndsey Stirling."

Breathing deeply, Nick glanced down at the guitar as he played the intro, then glanced back at the phone as he began singing. _"You had your maps drawn, you had other plans to hang your hopes on. Every road they led you down felt so wrong…so you found another way_." Strumming the guitar as he stared at the phone, Nick continued singing. _"You've got a big heart, the way you see the world, it got you this far. You might have some bruises and a few scars, but you know you're going to be okay… And even though you're scared, you're stronger than you know."_ Nodding his head and flicking his tail to the beat of the music, Nick sang, _"If you're lost out where the lights are blinding, caught and all the stars are hiding, that's when something wild calls you home…home. If you face the fear that keeps you frozen, chase the sky into the ocean, that's when something wild calls you home…home."_

Nick's foot was tapping to the beat of the music as his tail thumped lightly against the bedpost as it swayed with the music, then he started singing the next line. _"Sometimes the past can make the ground beneath you feel like quicksand. You don't have to worry—reach for my hand. Yeah, I know you're going to be okay. You're gonna be okay_." Nodding at the camera to silently convey that he knew Judy would be okay, he finished the verse. _"Even if you're scared, you're stronger than you know. If you're lost out where the lights are blinding, caught and all the stars are hiding, that's when something wild calls you home…home_."

Nick's head, tail, and foot continued moving to the beat of the music as he finished playing and singing the song. As the last chords hung in the air, he stared into the phone and said, "I know life hasn't been easy for you lately, Judy, and I'm sorry for making your life harder than it needed to be by disappearing." Pausing to collect his thoughts, he then said, "But this something Wilde," and he tapped his bare, fluffy chest, "is calling you home." With a shrug, he continued, saying, "You're all I have left, Fluff. I haven't seen any of my family since I was a teen." With an ear flick, he added, "I don't know if they're dead or alive, so when it comes to home and family, you're the closest thing I have." Taking a deep breath, he finished, saying, "So come home, please. I miss you."

Stopping the recording, Nick held his phone for a minute, then set his guitar down and got comfortable on the bed. Pulling up his videos again, Nick started watching the music videos Shaylee had made and given to him yesterday.

As the first song started playing,_ She Can_ by Alabama, Nick's ears flicked back as it described Judy pretty well. _'She can light a fire under me, give me all the courage that I need. She can see the side that I just can't see… She can… She can make me smile when I want to cry, find a way to change my state of mind. She can always reach through my disguise. She can… When my world gets crazy and I just can't cope, she throws her arms around me and gives me hope. When I got the desire, but I got no plans, I need someone to understand… Oh, and only she can… She can take the chill out of winter's night, take away the wrong from what's not right. She can make the darkest hour look bright, she can…'_

As Nick continued listening to the song, it described Judy better and better. She saw past his mask and made him want to do better and made him feel like he _actually _**could** be better. Life seemed brighter and—dare he say—_happier_ with her around. Rubbing a paw down his face, Nick knew he was a fool for letting her go. Even though he wasn't sure it was love he was feeling for Judy, he was still a fool for walking away. Outside of Finnick, she was the only one that understood him, and she did a much better job at making things look and feel better than the crotchety little fennec ever could. Shaylee really had picked a good song that described what Judy was to him, even if he hadn't realized it before listening to the song.

The next song, _It Must Be Love_ by Alan Jackson, didn't have as much meaning as the first song, but one line really stood out to him. _'Something is wrong all right, I think of you all night, can't sleep till morning light, it must be love. Seeing you in my dreams holding you close to me, oh what else can it be? It must be love…'_ He was definitely thinking of Judy all the time. Even in his sleep she still haunted his thoughts. He couldn't say much about his dreams before meeting Judy, but ever since he left her at the press conference, she had been the dream he'd been dreaming, even if those dreams weren't very pleasant. But the dreams he had the last two nights were much happier ones, even if he couldn't remember what they were about other than Judy was in them and he awoke with a smile on his muzzle.

The third song Shaylee had picked for him was _We Found Love_ by Boyce Avenue, and it made him pause. _'Yellow diamonds in the light and we're standing side by side. As your shadow crosses mine, what it takes to come alive…It's the way I'm feeling, I just can't deny. But I got to let it go. We found love in a hopeless place…'_

If this _was_ love he was feeling for Judy, and she was obviously feeling it for him, then they certainly found love in a hopeless place. She was a rabbit, he was a fox, who found love (_maybe_—a _strong_ maybe) while nearly dying repeatedly as they chased down a missing, savage otter. And with all the savage attacks still going on in Zootopia, and the protests and riots taking place, it was definitely a hopeless place—especially if the city were to find out that a fox and rabbit were romantically involved. So, it was a good thing they weren't in the city anymore, more so if this _was_ love he was feeling for Judy. But it had been so long since he'd experienced any form of love that he had a hard time recognizing it.

The fourth song, _Something Just Like This_ by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay, also gave him pause. _'…And she said, Where'd you want to go, how much you want to risk? I'm not looking for somebody with some superhuman gifts, some superhero, some fairly tale bliss, just something I can turn to, somebody I can kiss. I want something just like this…Oh, I want something just like this… _'

Listening to the song, Nick had to ask himself: _What did he want from his relationship with Judy? And what did she want from him? _He certainly wasn't some Superfox flying around in a red cape and saving people, nor did he jump around defeating bad guys in a black cape like Batwolf—but what _did_ he want? And what was he willing to risk to get it? He definitely wanted someone he could turn to, but did he really want to kiss Judy? Would it be so bad if he did? What would kissing a bunny feel like? What would she _taste_ like? That was the million-dollar question, right there.

The fifth song, _She's Everything_ by Brad Paisley, was similar to the first and described Judy pretty well. _'… She looks great in cheap sunglasses, she looks great in anything. … She's a soft place to land and a good feeling knowing. She's a warm conversation that I wouldn't miss for nothing. She's a fighter when she's mad and she's a lover when she's loving. And she's everything I ever wanted and everything I need. … She's the answer to my prayer and she's the song I'm playing. … She's the voice I love to hear and someday when I'm ninety, she's that wooden rocking chair I want rocking right beside me. Everyday that passes I only love her more. Yeah, she's the one that I'd lay my own life down for. And she's everything I wanted and everything I need. She's everything to me…' _

The song was good, and if he spent more time with Judy, Nick felt sure he'd probably feel the song fit her even better. But was Judy everything he wanted? He wouldn't know for sure until he met her and could spend more time with her. But regardless, he definitely needed her in his life, and she was _literally_ the song he was playing and singing (or had been a few minutes prior). And he did want to hear her voice, and the thought of being with her when they were both ninety did appeal to him. He had already risked his life to save her and stuck with her when every other rational mammal would have turned tail and run screaming in terror from the danger she kept dragging him into. But was she _everything_ to him?

Dropping his head against the pillow, Nick rubbed the heel of his palm against his forehead then pulled on his ear. He couldn't deny how much he wanted to see her, and he'd already determined to do anything if it meant he could stay with her. The fact she was joining Search and Rescue really appealed to him. Through the years, there had been news coverage of several large searches for missing hikers and campers. The earliest ones he remembered watching when he was younger didn't have any foxes on the teams. They were mostly prey mammals, rabbits, sheep, and deer making up the majority of the mammals, with a handful of wolves hired to make use of their superior noses. But in more recent years, he had seen the teams diversify with quite a few foxes, coyotes, badgers, bobcats, and lynxes joining the mostly prey dominated agency.

Besides the greater acceptance that was now found among Search and Rescue that he found highly appealing, Judy _had_ bought a bird for him to ride, which meant he could join her. This was the icing on the cake. Taking a deep breath while looking at his claws, Nick flexed his fingers, then curled them into a fist and let it drop onto his fluffy chest. Was this feeling he had for Judy really love? He still couldn't be sure, but the more songs he listened to the more he thought it might be.

The sixth song started playing, _God Gave Me You_ by Blake Shelton, and the thought that he might be in love with Judy became even stronger. _'I've been a walking heartache. I've made a mess of me. The person that I've been lately ain't who I want to be. But you stay right beside me and watch as the storm blow through. And I need you. Because God gave me you for the ups and downs. God gave me you for the days of doubt. And for when I think I've lost my way, there are no words left to say, it's true: God gave me you. …'_

Nick's life was a mess, and had been for decades, and he certainly wasn't the mammal he wanted to be when he was a kit and his family was still a family. Was that why Judy came into his life when she did? The heavens finally took pity on him and sent him someone who could balance out all the bad in his life? Nick didn't know, but he wanted to find out.

The seventh song was _Somebody_ by Bryan Adams. _'I been looking for someone between the fire and the flames. We're all looking for something to ease the pain. Now who can you turn to when it's all black and white? When the winners are losers? You see it every night. I need somebody—somebody like you…' _

Nick didn't think he had been looking for somebody, but maybe he had been subconsciously. When he was younger, Nick knew he needed somebody (his family) and that he couldn't do it alone. And even after he left home, he still kept contact with his brother and felt that if things got too bad out on the street, he always had a home and a family to return to—so when he learned his mother packed up and disappeared without so much as a goodbye or a forwarding address, Nick felt abandoned. Even though he wasn't home, he still sent money home to take care of his little brother. So being cut off from his family like he was, could he call it anything but abandonment?

His own mother had abandoned him, which was the same as saying she didn't love him and he wasn't worth her time and attention. It had taken years to come to terms with it, and he would be lying if he said he eventually got over it. Furthermore, it set his course of not trusting mammals. He started wearing a mask after the Junior Ranger Scouts incident, but when his mom abandoned him, he started building walls around his heart that became so thick that he forgot he even had a heart. At least he'd forgotten about it until a certain bunny crashed into his life and flipped him upside down and turned his way of thinking on its head. So, yes, he needed somebody, somebody like Judy.

The eighth song had a female vocalist, _No One Else On Earth _by Wynonna, and Nick figured this song had to do with how Judy felt about him. _'I've been a rock and I got my fences. I never let them down. When it comes to love, I keep my senses. I don't get kicked around. I shivered once, you broke into my soul. The damage is done, now I'm out of control. How did you get to me? No one else on earth could ever hurt me, break my heart the way you do. No one else on earth was ever worth it. No one can love me like, no one can love me like you. You can make me want you any time you want to. You're burning me alive. … Cause when the night falls, you make me forget. Your love is killing me and it ain't over yet. How did you get to me? …'_

The fact Judy and him both had fences and kept their distance when it came to love gave him something else they had in common. He felt guilty again when the song talked about him hurting her and breaking her heart. And when the song stated _that he was the only one who could_—Nick had to question whether he was really worth it like the song suggested. But then when the song talked about making Judy want him anytime he wanted, he felt the inside of his ears turn a bit red. And then as the song talked about the night falling and making her forget everything but being with him—Nick felt his abdominal muscles tensing in a way that shocked him.

It didn't help that Shaylee had picked several pictures of Judy in a swimsuit for this song, along with several pictures of her running in black spandex shorts and a purple tank top. Looking over her lithe, athletic body Nick felt his body slowly starting to respond to the suggestions the song was making. With a groan, his tail curled up between his legs. The response was weak as the song wasn't explicit in its suggestions and Judy wasn't wearing skimpy clothes, but the fact he even had a reaction told him that he was, indeed, _physically_ attracted to Judy—_a rabbit!_

Nick didn't think that it would take much time spent with her, especially as he already knew she liked and wanted him, for his reaction to become much stronger. He was sure her scent alone would drive him crazy. Her interest in him, and the scent she was sure to release, would be all that it took for his body to respond in kind.

The next song Shaylee picked that was from Judy's point of view didn't help his situation. It was _Alone_ by Heart. The opening lines brought up his guilt—_again_—by pointing out his absence in Judy's life. The start of the chorus really grabbed his attention as it was something he and Judy both had in come. _'Till now I always got by on my own. I never really cared until I met you. _And then as the song talked about getting him alone, and touching his lips and holding him tight, Nick groaned again. He might have to take a cold shower after all.

The pictures that accompanied this song were candid pictures of Judy alone and unaware her sister was taking the picture. One showed Judy reading outside under a tree, and a picture of her in her room studying. There was even one of her sleeping on the couch with a bunch of little bunnies sleeping with and on her. It was really sweet and made him think that Judy would make a good mother. Even though he doubted they would be able to have kits together, the option of adoption was always there.

Breathing deeply, Nick paused the video on the picture of Judy sleeping on the couch with all the little kits cuddling up with her. Lightly brushing his fingers across the picture, he wondered what it would be like if those were _their_ kits. And for the first time in his life, Nick was actually picturing himself having a family—_a family with Judy_. As he finished listening to the song, with the song repeatedly asking how Judy could get him alone, there were several more pictures of Judy with kits. She was playing on the floor with the little ones and their toys, of her reading to them, or chasing them around outside in what looked like a game of tag. They were heartwarming pictures that tugged on his heartstrings.

Then_ My Escape_ by Ravenscode started playing. _'Would you help me to find a new way? Would you have gotten me through all this again? Don't let me slip away. I need you here till the very end. So stay here with me. There's so much love in your smile when I look at your face. And I'm here to stay. Your my first and my last love and you're my escape. So tell me you'll be right here with me. Hearing your voice in like hearing an angel sing. Through the good and bad and all in between, you're the one I want and the one I need. And I know…You taught me to live each day, to live each day like it's my last. I won't make you turn away, so come with me and never look back. After all that we've been through, you are still by my side and I am grateful you're there…And I, I love you. You're my best friend and I want you to know I care…' _

If the pictures of Judy playing with the kits tugged on his heartstrings, then this song was a straight shot through the heart for it brought up all the memories and feelings he had when he and Judy were working together to find her missing otter. How many times had she saved him? How many times did they escape death, mutilation, and imprisonment? He escaped alive because of that energetic ball of fluff who had his back. She trusted him, believed in him, and showed him how to live each day like it was his last. They had been through so much and yet she stayed by his side. She had even asked him to be her police partner. Who _does_ that for a fox? Who puts that much trust and faith in a _fox?_ _No one_ that's who. _But she did_. She was the best friend a fox could ask for.

And she _still_ wanted to be with him. Even after he stupidly walked out on her, she was still thinking of him, dreaming of him, and had even bought an emu for him in the hope she might one day be able to enjoy a nice birdback ride with him. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Nick muttered, "I'm such a dumb fox. Could I possibly be a bigger idiot than to have let Carrots slip through my fingers?" With a snort at his own stupidity, he added, "She won't turn her back on me, but I was stupid enough to turn my back on her." With a shake of his head as he considered his monumental blunder, Nick then opened his eyes and watched the pictures of Judy flicking across the screen.

These pictures were mostly ones where Judy was dressed up to attend what looked like weddings. She had enough siblings and cousins Nick had no doubt she had attended hundreds of weddings in her life. And although none of the dresses were very fancy, she looked beautiful in them. Not cute—_beautiful_. And it made him wonder what Judy would look like as a bride? What would she look like as _his_ bride?

With a groan, he dropped his phone onto his white, furry chest and draped his arm across his eyes. As if thinking of having kits with her was bad enough, now he was thinking of getting dressed up and attending his own wedding. _Him!_ He was actually thinking of marriage—_of marriage to a rabbit!_ Nick rubbed his forehead against his arm as he shook his head. Moving his arm, he picked up his phone again and looked at the pictures of Judy attending various weddings as the song finished. For once in his life, he wasn't scoffing at the idea of marriage. In fact, he was actually looking forward to it.

As the song finished, Nick opened up his text messages and sent a text to Shaylee:

_Hey Shaylee, if your intention in making all these music videos of Judy was to get me to realize my feelings for her, then you succeeded. I'm now picturing Judy dressed in white as my bride and a couple of kits running about our feet. You have ruined me, rabbit. I hope you're happy_.

With a chuckle, Nick sent the text then went back to the videos and decided to watch them all over again. This time he paid more attention to the photos since he already knew what the songs were about. And yes, when he came to the two songs from Judy's point of view, they definitely got a reaction from him as he pictured himself kissing Judy and getting her alone in the dark. It was definitely time for a cold shower so he could calm down a bit.

After his shower, Nick joined Gideon down in the bakery to help him get ready for the day. He was humming some of the songs Shaylee had sent him while he was working, which had Gideon looking at him strangely, but Nick didn't care. He was looking forward to seeing Judy more than ever with several important questions running through his mind. The questions, '_What would kissing her feel or taste like?'_ and _'Would Judy even want to marry him?'_ being at the forefront. He knew she wanted to be with him, but was marriage in her plans? Did her feelings extend to being his mate? Red foxes mated for life, so it was a burning question in his mind.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next time, we'll see how Shaylee reacts to Nick's text, and she'll also rope in some more help to keep Nick safe. We'll also see what Daryl and his ilk are up to.

Chapter 17: _Happy_, will post in 2 weeks. Take care. If you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them.


	17. Chapter 17: Happy

Shaylee returned to her jeep and hopped in. After greeting her siblings and cousins, she pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the rodeo grounds. While driving, she sat mostly unaware of the chatter going on around her as her mind was on her missing sister and the fact Judy hadn't bothered to check her phone this morning. How long would it be before Judy figured out Nick had called? What would her response be when she found out?

This thought had her smiling, but then she remembered Mandy and several of her brothers who liked to cause trouble. Glancing over, she asked, "Have any of you seen Daryl, Roger, Billy, or Jerry this morning?" These four seemed to be the likeliest to get an early start on driving Nick from town so Shaylee wanted to keep tabs on them.

"I don't think Jerry has gotten up yet," her dark-gray brother Ben said with a twitch of one of his black ears. He had been looking up some things on his phone, but at Shaylee's question, he had glanced up to answer. He was curious about her question, seeing as Shaylee didn't get along really well with the brothers she had just mentioned. Shaylee disliked bullies, whether or not they were related to her.

With a nod, Aaron replied, "Yeah, Jerry likes to sleep in late, but I did see Daryl slip out earlier this morning. Roger and Billy were with him." Aaron was a brown and white buck and had been watching Ben's phone. But with a tilt of his head, he glanced up curiously at his sister sitting in front of him as she drove the jeep towards the rodeo grounds.

Melanie twitched her white nose, saying, "I didn't see them leave, but I certainly _heard _them leave. Daryl's truck is so _loud!_ How does it not hurt his ears!" With a shudder, she slapped her white paws over her black ears.

Shaylee shook her head as she mumbled under her breath, "Figures they'd already be up to no good." With a soft snort, she added, "Good thing Nick hid his car."

Her siblings and cousins gave her an odd look, then Brandi waved one of her creamy paws through the air and asked, "What do you mean?" followed by Melanie's question, "Yeah, and who is Nick?"

Aaron was sitting behind Shaylee, and at Brandi and Melanie's questions, he reached forward and flicked Shaylee's gray ear. "Ooh," he teased, "did you get yourself a new boyfriend?"

Shaylee flicked her ear out of reach of her brother's teasing paw and said, "No." Studying her brothers in the rearview mirror, Shaylee knew Ben and Aaron weren't specist like Mandy, Daryl and the others. Aaron even had a pretty, little pica girlfriend. Glancing over at Melanie, she knew her cousin once dated a prairie dog. Although the relationship didn't go anywhere, the two were still friends. Her sister Brandi was engaged to a tall black-tailed jackrabbit. And as for Marty—Marty had decided long ago that Judy was his favorite cousin because of how bold and daring she was.

Since Nick was going to need more support in the family than just herself, Shaylee figured these five would be a good choice to bring over to the _'Get Judy and Nick Together Fan Club_.' With a wide grin, she added, "Nick's already taken."

"Oh?" Brandi murmured. "Do we know the girl?"

Shaylee gave a nod and said smugly, "He belongs to Judy."

The silence in the jeep could be cut with a knife. Then Brandi reached around Melanie to grab Shaylee's arm and exclaimed, "Judy has a boyfriend!"

"No way!" Ben exclaimed immediately after. "There's no way Judy has a boyfriend."

"Yeah!" Aaron yelled. "Judy never has time for boys." Shaking his paws in denial, he added, "And besides, if she really had a boyfriend, do you think she'd let mom keep sending her out on all those stupid blind dates?"

Shaylee shrugged. "Well, it's not official. She met him in Zootopia, and he really helped Judy on her case to prove she was a real cop, but then they had a fight over the stupid press conference she did and he walked out on her." With a twitch of her nose, she added, "They haven't seen each other since."

"Why would he have a fight over her speech?" Brandi asked. "Is he like super pro-predator like Gazelle or something?" They had all seen the news coverage of Gazelle's rallies (she had several) to bring predator and prey back together.

Marty, who had been sitting quietly in the back, lost in thought, leaned forward between the seats. Pointing to his cousin Shaylee, he said, "Nick didn't fight with Judy because he's pro-predator—he fought with her because he _is_ a predator . . . _right?"_

Glancing over her shoulder at her cousin, Shaylee nodded. Brandi and Melanie sat in shocked silence, even as Marty sat back and turned to slug Ben sitting next to him. "Ha!" he laughed, even as Ben grabbed his arm, yelling, "Ouch!"

Shaking his finger at both his cousins, Marty laughed again, saying, "Ha! I told you Judy would fall for a predator!" Punching Ben's shoulder again, he added, "I told you, didn't I?!" Hitting his cousin a third time, which brought another "Ouch" from Ben, Marty repeated, "I told you!" Pointing to Ben first, and then Aaron, he added, "You both owe me twenty bucks for losing the bet!"

Ben and Aaron both groaned. Marty had made this stupid bet with them years ago and they had long forgotten about it, but obviously, Marty hadn't. The bet started after Judy began college and Bonnie and a few of their sisters started hooking Judy up on blind dates in the hope some lucky buck might catch her eye and convince her to drop her criminal law courses in favor of getting married. Marty thought it was a pipe dream of Aunt Bonnie as he was convinced Judy wouldn't want anyone who didn't have sharp teeth and claws, seeing as all her best friends were predators (Sharla, with a few others, being an exception). Ben and Aaron had teased him mercilessly about his _crazy_ idea—what rabbit would fall for a predator!? But now it was Marty doing all the laughing . . . _at them_.

Turning back to Shaylee, Marty excitedly asked, "So what species did she fall for? Was it a bobcat or an ocelot? Or maybe a black footed cat?" A family of black footed cats had moved into town a couple of years ago. Their species was native to Afurica and they were really small and cute for a feline. Looking at his dumbfounded cousins, he added, "Judy was always hanging out with one feline or another so I'm assuming she fell for a cat."

Shaylee met Marty's excited gaze in the rearview mirror, then chuckled. "Well, close, but _no_. Judy fell for a canid, specifically a red fox, if you can image that."

This did surprise Marty, along with everyone else in the jeep. "She's in love with a fox?" he asked. "Even after Gideon mauled her as a kit?"

Shaylee flicked her ear. "Judy never held it against foxes in general for what Gideon did to her. Furthermore, they were kits and he was a jerk. You don't have to look outside our family to find rabbits who are complete jerks as bad as Gideon ever was." She was thinking of Daryl and his group.

"Hey, is that why you were asking about Daryl and Jerry?" Ben asked. "Does that mean Nick has a nice car?" They knew Daryl, Jerry, Roger, and Billy were notorious for bullying predators, especially foxes, so they wouldn't hesitate to take one's car 'joy-riding' if they found out a fox had a nice one. And they were also pretty good at not getting caught for doing it.

These four had always been sneaky as kits, but Daryl had always been the leader and liked to plan out their 'raids,' whether it be stealing cookies from the cookie jar (and setting up one of their siblings to take the fall), borrowing something from someone without asking (siblings and neighbors alike), or pranking predators and prey from poorer families—Daryl saw it as a game to see how far he could go without getting caught.

The raids started simple enough but became more complicated as he got older and his character became more specist and mean-spirited. And with quite a few felines already living in town (with Judy being friends with a lot of them) and more canid's moving into town (all of which had good sniffers), Daryl had learned the art of using musk masking spray to hide his scent. He also like to strike in the early morning hours or after dark to further avoid detection.

Shaylee glanced at her brother in the rearview mirror again. Ben was a complete car buff and so cars of any kind interested him—but especially the classics. With a wide grin, she answered, "Nick has a beautiful, fully-restored, CLASSIC black convertible."

It wasn't just Ben's ears that perked up at Shaylee's statement, but he was the one who spoke first. "Really!? What kind of car is it?"

"Yeah!" Aaron agreed. Although not the classic car buff like his brother, he did have an eye and interest in muscle cars—past and present. "What year is it?" he asked excitedly.

Even Marty, who was more into birds and lizards, had his ears perked up in interest. Although he wasn't into cars like his cousins, he could appreciate a nice car as much as the next buck.

Melanie and Brandi had their interest piqued, as well. Even though they weren't into cars, they could always appreciate a beautiful convertible.

Tilting her head in thought, Shaylee tried to remember what Nick said about the car. "Let's see, Nick said the car was a 1970-something model and," she tapped her chin, "a Triumph something, I think." With a shrug, she added, "He told me at the park before I saw the car, so I can't remember exactly."

Ben leaned over the seat. "Did you say a 1970 Triumph—as in a Triumph TR6?"

Shaylee flicked her ear. "I think . . . maybe?" Shaking her head, she said, "I really can't remember. Once I saw the car, I started drooling over it, and Nick never said again what it was."

Ben sat back and immediately cleared his previous Zoogle search and started typing away. A moment later, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned forward between the seats to show Shaylee his phone without her needing to take her eyes off the road for more than a second. "Is this what the car looks like?" There was a picture of a classic black convertible on his phone.

Shaylee glanced at it while keeping one eye on the road. With a flick of her ear, she said, "That's really close. I'm pretty sure that's the car, but maybe a different year."

Ben nodded, then sat back and changed the year of the car. Finding another black one from the images that popped up from his Zoogle search, he then showed it to Shaylee again.

Jabbing her finger at the phone in excitement, she yelled, "That's it! That's his car! He even has that reddish-orange stripe on his tires."

Ben sat back triumphantly at finding Nick's car. With a wide, bucktooth smile, he said, "A 1971 Triumph TR6. It's a British car and a true classic." Glancing up from the phone, he added, "You have to introduce me to Nick. I want to pick his brain about his car." Waving his paw in the air, he said, "Like I said, it's a British car, so just finding one here in Anamalia is nearly impossible, but then to be able to find parts to restore it—he has to have connections with mammals who have these old classic car parts. He might even know where I can get the parts to finish restoring my 1969 Ford Mustang Boss."

Reaching over the seat, Brandi held her paw out, saying, "Let me see. I want to know what Nick's car looks like." Ben pawed the phone over and watched as she and Melanie began ogling and drooling over the classic British convertible. Ben couldn't wait to see the car in person. The pictures were nice enough but didn't do the car just. You had to see the car in action (which he had after searching for it on YouTube). The British roadster was a two-seater, with a streamlined body and suspension to die for as it flew smoothly over the road at faster speeds, and yet seemed to glide effortlessly at lower speeds. It was a beautiful little sports car, one Ben couldn't wait to get behind the wheel of or under the hood.

Nudging his brother, Aaron said, "That's smart. If Nick's from Zootopia, he must know a lot of shops and parts places. Or know who to call to get the parts he needs." With his nose twitching in anticipation, he added, "He might even know a good mechanic that could show us what we're doing wrong. Having someone around who actually knows how to work on these old classics would be a big help."

Ben nodded, but then said, "I doubt he could convince a good mechanic to drive all the way down here just to help us rebuild my old clunker."

Aaron shrugged. "You never know. He might know a predator who needs some work, _or_, he might even be able to help us himself."

Ben frowned slightly about getting an unknown predator involved in the rebuild of his car, but then he perked up again at the idea Nick might be able to help. If he was able to catch Judy's attention and her heart, then he would give the todd the benefit of the doubt. His sister had sky-high standards, so any male she fell for had to be something special—and trustworthy.

Seeing Ben's interest at having Nick help, Aaron continued saying, "If Nick rebuilt his car, he might know how to get yours up and running." Aaron had been attempting to help his brother rebuild his mustang for almost two years now, but to no avail. There were several parts that still needed replaced and Ben was sure there was some tinkering that needed done on the parts they _did_ get replaced. At any rate, another pair of eyes and paws would be nice.

While the girls were drooling over the pictures of the Triumph TR6 (they had even found a video of one in action), and Aaron and Ben were discussing the need to get another mammal involved, Marty leaned forward and asked an unsettling question that had popped into his mind. "How would Daryl or Roger know about Nick to even go looking for his car? I haven't heard anything about this fox showing up in Bunnyburrow, so how would the others know?"

Shaylee gave an irritated huff, then launched into a retelling of how she met the fox and Mandy's subsequent fit at finding out that Judy had fallen for a fox. She also told them about the pact she made with Mandy, one in which she was already regretting and had since recanted. At a few questions from her siblings and cousins, Shaylee explained about hiding Nick's car (she didn't tell them _where_ they hid it), and how Nick had been trying to get a hold of Judy, but she wasn't answering her phone.

They all agreed to help Shaylee keep their siblings off Nick's back as much possible, then wondered when they could meet him. Brandi and Melanie were interested in meeting the male who finally caught Judy's attention and won her heart, Marty was excited to meet the predator who swept his daring cousin off her feet, and Ben and Aaron were excited about getting his help on Ben's car.

With a laugh, Shaylee explained that Nick would be by later to help with setting up the rodeo if Judy didn't call him first. This caught everyone's attention. Hearing how the fox wanted to help out increased their interest in him. They chatted a bit more about him as they neared the rodeo grounds, and then Shaylee got a ping on her phone notifying her about a text she received.

Shaylee pawed her phone over to Melanie, who was sitting in the seat between her and Brandi, "Will you check that for me? It might be Judy or Nick."

After Shaylee told her the code, Melanie unlocked the phone and pulled up her texting app. Seeing the name for the most recent text, Melanie's brow raised as she glanced at her cousin. "Hot Fox?" she asked.

Shaylee chuckled. "What? He is hot. And if Judy didn't already have dibs on him, I might think of pursuing him myself." With a shrug and twitch of her nose, she explained, "Nick's fun to be around and easy to talk to." Gripping the steering wheel excitedly, she added, "Oh, and can that fox _sing!_ And he plays the guitar really well, too."

Brandi stared in disbelief at her sister for several heartbeats, then pointed at the grey bunny and exclaimed, "You want to date the fox now, too!?"

Shaylee shook her head. "I told you, he's Judy's, but after spending most of the afternoon with Nick yesterday and again last night, I think we have foxes all figured wrong. Nick is extremely loyal to Judy and risked his life to keep her alive three months ago, and now he's come back to fix what they both broke. I don't know a lot of bunnies who would be willing to do that, do you? Or many prey mammals for that matter." With another shrug and twitch of her ear while thinking how foxes were treated, she added, "Now it might be just Nick himself to do this sort of thing, but I'm inclined to think that more foxes would show this kind of loyalty if we gave them half a chance and a reason to."

Cocking her head and ignoring the looks her siblings and cousins gave each other (with the exception of Marty who was nodding in agreement), Shaylee then said, "Look how Gideon turned out. He's really nice and helpful now, and it's hard to believe what a specist bully he was for so many years, but I have to wonder if things would have been different if Daryl and Jerry and a bunch other rabbits and prey mammals hadn't bullied him so badly when he was little."

Brandi, Ben, and Aaron immediately felt guilty. Although they hadn't bullied the todd when they were younger (Gideon was a few years younger than they were), they had seen how some of their siblings and other prey mammals, and even a few of the predators, had ruthlessly bullied Gideon. At least, they did until he got big enough to bully back. Then he became a real terror to the smaller mammals around him. Melanie and Marty were quite a bit younger than the others, just a little older than Shaylee, so they hadn't seen Gideon being bullied himself, they only heard about the bullying he did to others. But hearing Shaylee's take on the situation, they readily agreed that it was a vicious cycle that was being perpetuated.

"Anyway," Shaylee said, "if more foxes are like Nick then I'm thinking I might want to get to know more of them."

This left her siblings with much to think about and Melanie finally thought to look down and read the text Nick, or, rather, _Hot Fox_, had sent her cousin. "Okay, so Nick says, '_Hey Shaylee, if your intention in making all these music videos of Judy was to get me to realize my feelings for her, then you succeeded. I'm now picturing Judy dressed in white as my bride and a couple of kits running about our feet. You have ruined me, rabbit. I hope you're happy_.'"

Melanie's eyes widened and her nose began twitching incessantly at what she just read. Shaylee, on the other paw, just laughed and smacked the steering wheel with her palm. "Ha! I _knew_ Nick had feelings for Judy! He wouldn't have done all the things he did for her if he didn't. He just needed a good nudge to figure it out for himself." Taking a deep breath, she added, "Now if Judy will just answer her stupid phone—_or at least check her messages_—she won't have to be depressed anymore. She can meet with Nick, she'll know for sure that he doesn't hate her, and they can both move on from the past and start living their future."

Melanie stared at the phone for a minute, then up at Shaylee, then back down at the phone, still trying to take in the crazy text message that Nick had sent her cousin. Brandi found her voice first, asking, "You think Nick is going to marry Judy? You think Judy _wants_ to marry the fox?"

Shaylee met her sister's shocked gaze for a moment, then said, "Well, I can't say a hundred percent about Nick, he'll need to spend more time with Judy to fully get his mind wrapped around the idea of being with her, but I'm sure Judy has marriage in mind."

It was Marty who piped up next, "Judy never does anything halfway, so if she fell for Nick, marriage is the only thing on her mind, especially if Nick shares her feelings." Pointing to Shaylee's phone, he added, "Which he obviously does."

"But can they even get married?" Melanie asked, with a chorus of 'Yeahs' from Ben and Aaron, even as Shaylee raised her brow. "I mean, with them being predator and prey, do you think their marriage will even get approved?"

Shaylee took a deep breath and shrugged. "I did wonder about that, but I'm sure Judy will think of something—she always does."

"Well," Marty said, "with Nick being a fox, they have a tradition where they claim their mates, so there's always that." His sister and cousins perked their ears up and looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "What!?" he asked. "Predators are a lot of fun, so I made friends with some foxes." Pointing to his grey cousin, he added, "And Shaylee's right. Foxes are extremely loyal if you prove your worth and can gain their trust." Raising his finger, he added, "Which isn't easy, considering how despicably most mammals treat them."

Nodding, Shaylee rotated her ears towards her cousin and asked excitedly, "They have a tradition of claiming mates?! How does that work?"

Marty shook his head. "Foxes consider claiming a mate an almost sacred act, so I couldn't get any details about the ceremony, but I do know that once they claim or take a mate there's no going back. It's a done deal: you're stuck with that mammal till the end of time, so you better make it count."

"Wow," Shaylee murmured as her mind started thinking more strongly about finding her own foxy boyfriend. She hadn't been lying when she said she thought Nick was someone worth pursuing.

Brandi and Melanie looked at each other, and then Brandi said in a small voice. "So, I take it divorce isn't something a fox will ever consider." Brandi had been married once, but after being married four years and only producing three small litters (she only had five kits between the three), her husband decided to divorce her for a younger model who could give him the large family he was hoping for (at least that was his excuse). It had taken Brandi a long time before she could trust her heart to another male, and she was taking her time with her current boyfriend to make sure he'd actually stick around this time.

Ben and Aaron's interests were also piqued. Aaron had been left at the altar by his fiancé years ago, and it really messed him up, especially since his fiancé ran off with another buck. He was just now getting back into the whole dating scene, but he no longer trusted his heart to another rabbit. Instead, he decided to look outside their species, which is how he found his pretty, little pica girlfriend. Her name was Sasha and she was a true gem. Ben had been married once before, too, but his wife left him before their first anniversary. But she didn't leave of her own accord—she was taken from him by a drunk driver, along with their nine kits. He never had remarried. Instead, he'd thrown his time and energy into helping out on the farm and restoring old cars.

Answering his cousin's question, Marty said, "Marriage for foxes is more of a social institution for tax purposes, insurance, parental rights of kits, and whatnot. Claiming a mate is what they're most concerned with. And yeah, you can't divorce yourself from it or your chosen partner." With a wave of his paw, Marty continued, saying, "Needless to say, foxes are usually older and more mature when they finally take a mate."

With her full interest focused on her cousin as she pulled into the large, dirt field they were using as a parking lot for the rodeo, Shaylee asked, "So do foxes have long courtships or something?"

Marty held his paw up flat and wobbled it back and forth. "Eh, it depends on the species. Some foxes have longer ones, and some will play the field while they're looking, but once they've made a choice and performed the rite of claiming a mate—the Claiming Ceremony—_it's final_." Gripping the back of the seat while leaning forward, he added, "Now if we're talking about _red foxes_, though, I've heard they're _really_ picky about who they even _date_. Some of my fox friends said that for red foxes, they won't claim a mate unless they imprint on them first."

"Imprint?" Melanie asked, flabbergasted. She'd never even heard of the word, and by the looks of her cousins, neither had they.

Marty nodded as his nose twitched. "Yeah, it's something unique to red foxes and has to do with forming some kind of instinctual, emotional, psychological bond or something. I was hearing it second-hand so I'm not a hundred percent sure what my friend was talking about, but I heard that it usually happens pretty fast. It might take them years of looking to find the right one, but once they do, they usually know within a month of meeting and spending time together, some even knowing within a week of meeting their mates." With a shrug, he repeated, "Like I said, for red foxes, finding and claiming a mate is mor of an instinctual thing."

Shaylee pulled into a parking spot and put the jeep in park but didn't kill the engine. Thinking back to when she was talking to Nick at the park yesterday, she muttered, "I wonder if that's why Nick said he needed to spend more time with Judy before he could decide on how he felt about her." Nick had known Judy a few days. Had he started imprinting on her and their fight after the press conference derailed it?

"What do you mean?" Melanie asked.

Shaylee shook her head. "It's nothing." Taking her phone back from her cousin, Shaylee looked again at the text Nick had sent her. Remembering how Nick reacted to watching that video of Judy last night, and then reading his text after he watched the music videos of Judy, it strengthened Shaylee's guess that Nick had started imprinting on Judy four months ago when he was helping her find all those missing mammals. He had been heartbroken when describing what it felt like to see Judy so scared of him. Maybe his coming here to Bunnyburrow was more of his instincts whispering to him to chase down his missing mate and less about needing to move on with his life.

Rereading the text again, Shaylee knew the videos wouldn't have had this strong of an impact on the red todd if he wasn't already feeling something for Judy. He just needed a bit more time spent with her for the process of imprinting to be complete. It was a thought anyways, a thought for another time. Pocketing her phone and turning her jeep off, she glanced at her cousins and siblings, saying, "Well, shall we get started? The rodeo isn't going to set itself up as dad would say."

A light chuckle traveled through the jeep and then the rabbits piled out of the vehicle and headed towards the grounds where a lot of their siblings and cousins were already busy at work.

-/-/-

Daryl and his brothers watched Gideon open his bakery up, but they didn't immediately cross the street and enter. They remained sitting across the street until the joint was nearly full with customers trying out the pelt's surgery treats. Since this was a reconnaissance mission, they didn't want to stand out, so they waited a bit before entering enemy territory.

Stepping through the door, a heavenly sweet smell hit their noses, even as a noisy din hit their ears as quite a few mammals had bought one surgery treat or another and were sitting around talking as they ate their high-calorie, naturally flavored breakfast treats. Daryl snorted. No matter how good the food smelled or possibly tasted, a filthy pelt had made it so there was no way he was going to touch the food. His brothers silently agreed with him as they followed him to an empty table in the back.

Sitting down, they looked around trying to blend in while waiting to get a glimpse of their sister's unnatural love interest. Daryl personally thought she'd lost her mind for having fallen for a fox, and not just any fox, but a city fox where predators were going savage left and right. Judy had always been a strange one, but this was just too much, even for her. Daryl couldn't save Judy from herself when she was pursuing her dream of being a big city cop which nearly got her killed (she had been hospitalized while trying to break up a protest), but he would sooner roll in cassowary droppings than sit back and let his little sister chase after a filthy pelt—a _predator_ who could go savage and eat her at the drop of a hat.

As it was, the only mammal they saw besides the customers was the filthy ferret, Travis, who was taking everyone's orders. Daryl and his brothers didn't talk much while they waited, as they were mostly listening for any gossip they could catch about the new fox in town. After a while, their patience was rewarded as the fox in question came out of the kitchen carrying a tray full of pastries. He was dressed in blue jeans and a light-blue shirt with a slight V-neck. He was also wearing one of Gideon's striped, pink aprons.

Daryl scowled at seeing the red todd,_ Nick_, while his brothers' jaws went slack at seeing the difference this city fox had from the country fox they were used to seeing. Other than their red coats and bushy tails, the two foxes couldn't be more different. Not only was the city fox taller and leaner than his country cousin, he carried himself with an air of confidence and charm that Gideon could never achieve.

As Nick began restocking the shelves with the fresh goods, Alan, a white tail deer with a nice rack, spoke up and, in a friendly manner, asked who the new help was.

Travis introduced the red todd as Nick Wilde, a friend who was staying with Gideon for a week or so. Nick waved and asked how the deer was enjoying his food, then glanced around the room. His deep emerald gaze landed on Daryl for a split second, then continued scanning the other customers before he retreated back through the swinging door into the kitchen.

As he watched the door swing shut behind the todd, Daryl's thoughts were interrupted as his brother Billy leaned over to mutter, "Well, I can kinda see why Judy fell for the filthy pelt. She's always had a weird thing for predators, and Nick is lean like her. I bet he's a good runner, too."

Jerry nodded while saying, "And did you see how tall he is!? Judy was never interested in someone she couldn't look up to."

Daryl rolled her eyes. "Judy was _never_ into _any_ males."

"Exactly!" Jerry said with a bob of his head. "Anyone who tried hitting on her was no taller than she was. The only time she seemed to enjoy a male's company was when she was hanging out with one of her tall cat friends."

Daryl had to concede the point, but it didn't make him feel any better about his sister's bizarre fascination with the red todd. If anything, it made him think even less of the city fox. Daryl was sure the pelt had somehow swindled their sister into liking him.

They didn't hang around much longer as they weren't planning on starting any trouble here, at least not with so many eyewitnesses. They wanted to learn more about the fox's habits before making a move. If not for Shaylee's threat, they could just wait for him to walk down some dark alley, but Shaylee made that impossible—at least in the daytime. Nighttime would be a better time to mug the pelt if it came to that—fewer chances of being seen, and therefore caught.

After leaving the bakery and its stench of fox musk mixed in with the sweet smell of pies and pastries (a scent that had him gagging), Daryl led Roger and Billy over to the Sheriff's office. With the stinking fox being from the city, he was sure to have a rap sheet. If the fox had a long enough one, or bad enough one, Daryl figured he could probably convince the Sheriff himself to run the pelt out of town. Save everyone a lot of trouble.

Walking into the Sheriff Station, Daryl looked around and nodded to the fallow deer and bobcat deputies on duty, even as Billy waved and said 'hi'. Stepping up to the counter, he looked up at Paul, the fallow deer deputy, and informed him he needed to see the Sheriff. After assuring the two deputies that nothing was wrong, that he merely had a quick question, Paul waved him back to the Sheriff's office, even as he hit a button on his desk phone to let the sheriff know he had company.

Daryl left Roger and Billy chatting with the two deputies, even as he walked down the short walkway and popped his head through the open door. The Sheriff, an older mule deer named Bob who had an impressive 8-point rack, met Daryl's gaze and waved him in. Stepping into the office and sitting in the chair opposite the deer buck, he said, "Morning, Sheriff."

"Well, Daryl, what can I do for you today?" Bob knew most of the Hopps' boys, but especially Daryl as he seemed to always be in the thick of trouble when he was younger. He was either accusing someone of starting trouble or being accused. But the Sheriff hadn't seen the rabbit buck for a while now, so he was curious as to why he was here. And so early in the morning, too.

Daryl leaned back in the chair and said, "I want you to look someone up for me."

With a raised brow, the Sheriff said, "Well, I don't know about that Daryl. I need a reason to look someone up. Who is it you want me to look into and what do you think he's done?"

Daryl flicked his ear as his nose started twitching at the thought of the pelt who'd suckered his head-strong sister into liking him. "His name is Nick Wilde, a new red fox in town."

The Sheriff frowned. "Well, Daryl, that's not really a reason to look into his past."

With a wave of his paw, Daryl explained, "He's a single fox from Zootopia and he's staying with Gideon for the time being. I just want to make sure we're not inviting a drug runner or a murdering thug into our peaceful community."

Bob frowned a moment longer. He'd heard about Gideon introducing a friend around town that would be staying with him for a while, but Bob hadn't realized the new todd was from Zootopia. With a shrug, Bob turned to his computer screen. He hadn't heard any complaints yet about the fox, but Daryl did have a point. And if the fox was innocent his record would show it. Punching in the name, he waited a moment, then scanned the list that popped up. There were several Wildes living in Zootopia, but only one named Nick. "Is that a Nicholas P. Wilde?" he asked the buck in front of him.

Daryl waved his paw. "I didn't catch more than Nick Wilde, but I think he might be in his late twenties, if that helps any."

Bob leaned forward to get a better look at the small print on his screen. After studying the todd's birth date, he said, "Well, this todd seems to be in his early 30's."

Daryl nodded. "It's probably him."

With a flick of his large ear, Bob clicked on the name and then read what popped up. "Well, if we have the right todd, then it looks like he was arrested twice," (Daryl's ears perked up and a smug smirk crossed his face), "but it doesn't look like he was ever charged with anything."

Daryl's hopeful smirk disappeared as he asked, "You mean they were dropped?"

Bob shook his head. "No, I mean he was never charged with anything." Clicking on a link, he then added, "I can't even see why they brought him in." With a shake of his head and impressive rack, he said, "Well, it looks like your city fox has a clean record. No assaults, no drug possession or selling, and no thefts—he has . . . _nothing_." Clicking another link, he added, "The last arrest was almost ten years ago, so I'd say your fox has been keeping himself squeaking clean since then."

Daryl wore a scowl again. He was sure he'd be able to get the Sheriff to solve their pelt problem, but it was a no-go. How the fox kept himself out of the system was beyond him. Maybe that's how he fooled Judy—with no record, she must have assumed the pelt kept his nose clean and above the law. Judy was naïve enough that she might get duped that way.

With a shake of his head, he stood up and thanked the Sheriff. After shaking the rabbit buck's paw, Bob leaned back in his chair and asked, "You don't look pleased. Is there something I should know?"

Daryl almost told him the fox was looking for Judy, but if he said anything the Sheriff would probably call Judy himself to learn the facts about the fox and how they knew each other. Pushing the thought down, Daryl flicked his ear, saying, "After what Gideon did to Judy when they were kits, I just don't want another violent red fox in town."

Bob clasped his hooves together in front of him, then said, "I can understand your concern, but I don't think we'll have a problem with him. At least, I haven't heard any complaints about him yet."

Daryl merely nodded, then turned and walked out the door. As he met Billy and Roger still chatting with the deputies, he gave them a slight head shake at their questioning gaze. Realizing their coming here had been fruitless, they left the Sheriff's station a bit dejected. Since they couldn't count on the law to help them drive the fox from town, they had to fall back on their high school pranks, which meant they had to figure out which ones they could use without getting themselves in trouble.

-/-/-

Nick busied himself in the kitchen learning from a master how to bake pies and artfully make pastries. When he had taken a tray out earlier, he was sure he'd seen Judy's specist brothers whom Shaylee had mentioned the day before. There were three of them, and they were the only mammals in the joint who were sitting at a table, but who had refused to buy, eat, or drink a single thing. And the hard, sullen stare they were giving him was one he knew all too well. It was the look of a mammal who hated his species and would like nothing better than to disfigure his face and rearrange his organs.

Still having no way to contact Judy (he had called again, but now, instead of ringing first, it went straight to voicemail which made him think Judy forgot to charge her phone before she went to sleep the previous night and it was now dead), and seeing as three of her most specist brothers were already here and scoping out the place made him eternally grateful that he'd had the foresight to hide his car last night.

When he later took a tray of pies out to restock the display counter, Nick was only partially grateful to see them gone. He preferred keeping them in sight, then they couldn't sneak up on him. As it was, who knew what awful plans they were devising to run him out of town—and probably humiliate and demean him in the process.

With a shake of his head to try and rid his mind of the unwanted thoughts, and more so, the unwanted memories associated with them, Nick returned to the kitchen where Gideon was already packing up his pies and pastries for delivery. Stepping up to help, they quickly loaded his van, then he informed Travis they were heading out and they would be back later.

With his hope of Judy calling him anytime soon fading, Nick figured his next best shot would be to meet with her parents at the rodeo grounds and see what help he could offer. If he did a good enough job, they might just invite him home to meet Judy. It was probably a slim hope, but if Shaylee was there to vouch for him, then maybe it could happen.

Grabbing his Stetson off the hook by the door, Nick hurried outside and hopped in the passenger seat of Gideon's delivery truck. Although he was looking forward to meeting more of the citizens of Bunnyburrow, and thoroughly looking forward to learning more about the rodeo as he helped set everything up, he couldn't get Judy out of his head. The music videos this morning had planted quite a few ideas in his head regarding the energetic ball of fluff, but he still needed to see her to know if what he was feeling and thinking were real or just the heat of the moment. He really hoped he would be able to see Judy tonight.

* * *

**FYI:** A **Black-Footed Cat,** also called the Small-spotted Cat, is native to southern Africa and is the smallest cat on the African continent, measuring between 35-52 cm or 14-20 inches. It has a tawny coat with bold black markings on its face and black spots that blend together to form stripes on its body, legs, and tail. And contrary to its name, only the soles of its feet are black or dark brown.

**Fallow Deer** is a smaller deer species with its antlers looking like they are a cross between deer antlers and moose antlers. They typically retain their white fawn spots into adult, but there are 4 coat color variations: the Common color is chestnut with white mottled spots and a white neck and belly. The Menil coat coloring has more pronounced spots and no black around its white rump patch. There is a Melanistic (black) coat with no spots or white rump patch. And Leucistic (white) coat also has no spots. The fawns are born cream colored and then fade to white as an adults. Fallow deer were originally native to Europe but have since been introduced across the globe.

For those of you interested in seeing the **Triumph TR6** in action, with a helpful and funny review, here's two YouTube videos to watch. Just search for: _James May Full Review of Triumph TR6 Blokiest Bloke Car Ever_, and then, _Truimph TR6 Rally-Wheeler Dealers_.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next time, Judy will end up hustling her mom while Nick makes it to the rodeo grounds to offer his help.

Next: Ch. 18: Hustles and Rules of a Good Con, will post in two weeks. I hope you have a great week. Stay safe. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.


	18. Chapter 18: Hustles and Rules of a Con

Around 9:30 in the morning, with the sun sitting cheerfully in the sky with a few puffy white clouds scuttling by and a light breeze making the grass and tree leaves gently sway, Judy finally rode Toot-toot back to the barn and dismounted. With a wide smile, she took a deep breath and patted her bird's fluffy neck. The well-trained bird had been a dream to ride, as she was quick on her feet and eager to go wherever Judy pointed her. This made Judy eager to help Patty-Mae train her other birds so she could learn how to do it right should she ever decide to raise an emu from a chick.

After wrapping the reins around the hitching post, she walked over and grabbed a pawful of prunes from the barrel and returned to feed them to Toot-toot as a treat. Once the bird had her snack, Judy stripped her of her gear and led her to one of the smaller pastures and let her out to graze on the wild grasses and fruits that had dropped from the various fruit trees planted around the paddock. Bugs were also on her bird's menu if she could catch them (emus supplemented their vegetarian diet with grasshoppers and other bugs they found, along with any of the small wild lizards they were able to catch).

As she walked back to the barn to switch her bridle for a slightly bigger one (JD was quite a bit bigger than Toot-toot), Judy couldn't help but think of how the morning had gone thus far. The ride had done wonders for her mood, and she felt like she might actually be able to start living again—which was a huge relief. Of course, being able to apologize to Nick last night, even if it was just in a video was probably the biggest factor to her much-improved mood. During her ride, she was even able to convince herself that Nick would actually come looking for her.

After talking to both Patty-Mae and Shaylee about Nick, and getting a fresh perspective on the slick todd, Judy had to agree that Nick would most likely come looking for her once his anger cooled down. After risking his neck several times to keep her alive, and with his natural curiosity as a fox, she doubted he would be able to brush their friendship aside just like that. Even if he wasn't thinking of fixing their friendship, he would at least want to know _why_ she reacted so fearfully towards him. After everything he'd done for her, her terrified reaction didn't make any sense—even if she _was_ a rabbit. And that's when Judy could properly apologize and give him the video she made.

At least, Judy hoped he wouldn't leave things as they were, that he would come for answers. Nick knew where to find her, she had told him where she was from when he was teasing her about her carrot farming roots by calling her _Carrots_, but she had no _clue_ where or how to find _him_.

Taking a deep breath and trying to squash her pessimism (she still couldn't get Nick's look of betrayal out of her head), Judy walked resolutely into the corral to catch JD. He seemed bored in the pen and was eager to follow her through the gate and into the barn. After saddling him up, she gave the large, fluffy emu a handful of prunes to snack on. Giving him a pat on the neck (and immediately thinking of Nick's fluffy white neck and chest, which had her ears turning a darker shade of pink), Judy then made her way inside the house for a quick bathroom break and to refill her water bottles with some fresh water.

Judy also figured it might do her good to have an early lunch seeing as she was up before her parents this morning. After filling her water bottles and putting them back in the side pouches of her fanny pack, Judy remembered she didn't have her phone on her. While thinking of her phone, Judy wanted to kick herself in the tail for never asking Nick for his phone number. If she had his number, she could have called him a long time ago and then she wouldn't be stuck in this waiting game right now. Then again, Nick might have blocked her. But even if he had, he would still have her number should he ever want to call her.

With a heavy sigh while thinking of 'what if', Judy decided she better run down to her room and grab her phone before she sat down to eat. Walking across the kitchen, she was nearly to the door when it opened to reveal her mom.

"Oh, Judy, dearie, I'm so glad I caught you," Bonnie said in a sweet, yet no-nonsense voice that had Judy's fur standing on end. She had heard this voice far too many times in the last several years and it always led to one thing—with her running in fear of her life because her mom had found another nameless buck to marry her off to.

Completely oblivious to her daughter's sudden fear, Bonnie continued saying, "I'm really impressed with the emus you bought. That's good breeding there."

Judy pasted on her fake smile even as she said, "Yes, yes they are. My female was a dream to ride this morning and I'm just getting ready to ride the male."

"Well, that's good to hear," Bonnie said cheerfully, but made no move to let her daughter leave the kitchen. "So how long do you think it'll take you to train the birds before they're ready to be used in Search and Rescue?"

Judy flicked her ear as this wasn't the direction she thought her mom would be taking this conversation. Fulltime employees of Search and Rescue, (opposed to the volunteers who only got called in when someone actually went missing), lived in the mountains and were an auxiliary unit of the Forest Rangers. Although the Search and Rescue employees didn't have the authority to arrest anyone for breaking the laws set up to protect the forests and rivers that covered the mountains, they did help the Forest Rangers patrol the thousands of miles of wilderness that covered the mountains.

So once she turned in her application and it was approved, Judy would be moving up to the mountains and living in whatever little ranger cabin they assigned her, along with her partner (Search and Rescue members always worked in pairs as a safety measure). So why was her mom asking about how quickly the birds would be ready? Did she come up with some cockamamie excuse to keep her at home? Her mom seemed really excited about her joining when she brought it up the other night, though.

With her nose twitching lightly, Judy answered cautiously, "Um, well, Patty-Mae Leaps—_she's the one who sold me the emus_—has already trained the birds so I could probably sign up any day I wanted. I still need to take JD out, but I'm sure he'll be a dream to ride, too."

Bonnie clapped her paws together and cooed, "Oh, that's just wonderful!"

Judy blinked. She just said she would be leaving the burrow any day now, and yet her mom was excited about it!? Her mom was the _worst _worrywart ever and always talked about wanting to keep her home, safe and sound. So what gives? Taking a deep breath, Judy asked carefully, "You would be fine with me moving out again . . . _so soon?"_

"Well," Bonnie said excitedly, "I was just talking to my friend Mazy, and her son Jazzy works in the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol, and she said that Jazzy would be happy to show you the ropes. He could even request being your trainer once you sign up." With another clap and a soft 'squee' of happiness, Bonnie added, "Isn't this great! You won't have to go into Search and Rescue alone, you'll already have a friend there to help you out." With one paw clasped over her heart, Bonnie reached out and lightly rested her other paw on her daughter's shoulder, saying, "He's even home for the rodeo, so you can go over and meet him now if you want. You could even go to the rodeo together."

At first, Judy didn't know how to respond, especially as she could just hear her mom tack on 'boy' in front of 'friend' there in her head. Taking a deep breath, she rubbed one paw across her face while holding the other up to her mom. As her mom dropped her paw and stopped talking, Judy took another breath and then looked up to meet her mom's hopeful, yet concerned, gaze. "Mom, did you just hook me up on another blind _date?"_

"Of course not, Bun-bun. I promised I wouldn't do that." With a wave of her paw as she glanced around the kitchen, Bonnie then added, "Jazzy would just be a _friend_."

Judy's eyes narrowed. If she agreed to see this buck, then her mother would have her whole wedding planned by the end of the day. Trying to think of a way out of this stupid situation, she started grasping at straws, saying, "Well, today . . . today isn't really going to work. I'm super busy today . . . Uh, lots of things to do." Her voice wasn't very convincing there at the end, making her mom fold her arms over her chest and give her the _'Oh, really?'_ look.

As Judy's ears dropped against her back, Bonnie's foot started tapping as she asked, "Busy doing what?"

Judy's eyes darted around the kitchen as she tried to think of something when she suddenly remembered telling Ryan they had to do lunch together sometime. Now seemed like the perfect time. "Um, well, I met Patty-Mae's older brother Ryan yesterday when I went looking for her about buying the emus." Taking a deep breath while clasping her paws behind her back, Judy continued saying, "Ryan and I went to high school together and shared a lot of classes. And yesterday, his brothers informed me that he had a huge crush on me back then."

Bonnie's eyes lit up with stars as she saw her little Bun-bun finally getting a boyfriend. Seeing her mom's expression, Judy internally cringed at leading her mom on, but she ignored the faint niggling of guilt in favor of self-preservation. "Ryan is one of the few bucks I actually enjoyed spending time with back in high school, so if he had asked me out on a date, I wouldn't have turned him down."

Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise. She was sure no one had caught her daughter's eye in high school, so this revelation floored her. "So why didn't he ask you out!?" she exclaimed as her nose started twitching.

Judy hummed a moment, then answered, "Ryan was really shy and uncoordinated in high school, so he never found the courage to ask me out."

"Oh," Bonnie said. If Ryan had had the courage to ask her Bun-bun out in high school, her daughter might be married by now and settled with a kerfluffle of her own. She probably wouldn't have become a cop, either, and this whole mess with breaking the city (or so Judy keeps insisting) never would have happened. It just broke Bonnie's heart to see her little bun-bun beating herself up over the violence and chaos happening in Zootopia after her press conference 4 months ago.

"Yeah, so," Judy started, as she continued powering forward with (she hated to admit it) _hustling_ her mom (she was sure Nick would be proud of her). "Anyway, I gave Ryan my number yesterday and we made plans for lunch today." Glancing at the clock and seeing how early it was, she amended quickly, "I mean _brunch_. We're meeting for _brunch_ today. And then we were going shopping together." She was sure Ryan wouldn't have a problem going to the hardware store to get supplies for the fix up. He might even have a better idea of what they needed.

"_Shopping!?"_ Bonnie said incredulously. Whenever any of her daughters dragged a buck to the store for shopping, it was always to buy clothes or jewelry (the bucks were either buying or carrying the purchases), but this never applied to Jude the Dude, as Stu frequently called Judy—and for good reason. Judy rarely took herself shopping (and _never_ with a buck). And when she _did_ go shopping, it was always for necessities. Once in a blue moon, Judy would buy something nice for herself, but she was never into the frivolous shopping most does did when they were trying to catch the eye of an eligible buck (does trying to snag a boyfriend or a husband always wanted to look their best—which meant _shopping_).

Judy rolled her eyes. "Not _that_ kind of shopping." Bonnie raised her brow again and Judy explained, "I made plans with Ryan, Patty-Mae, and her boyfriend Joey to ride up to Grandma Cecelia's cabin and help me fix it up. I haven't been there in years, so I'm sure it's falling apart by now." With a shake of her head while waving her paws out in front of her to stave off anything her mom might say to the contrary, Judy added, "To that end, Ryan is going to the hardware store with me to help me pick out the supplies we'll need."

Bonnie stood in a daze staring at her daughter. This was above and beyond anything she could have hoped for her daughter just a few days ago. Not only was Judy going out to lunch with a _buck_, but she had also planned a trip into the mountains with four friends, one of which was the buck she was to have lunch with. Taking a deep breath to rain in her excitement (and confusion), Bonnie said, "The four of you are going to the mountains together?" This sounded an awful lot like a double date—_a 3-day long double date!_

Judy gave a nod, saying, "We made the plans yesterday afternoon and hope to leave at first light tomorrow morning. We'll be back Saturday afternoon in time for Ryan to enter the Barrel Racing Competition."

"The competition doesn't start until 2 in the afternoon," Bonnie pointed out.

With a shrug and flick of her ear, Judy added, "So, we'll be back by 2."

Bonnie studied her headstrong daughter, surprised at the plans she had so suddenly made. First, she buys two emus and then she goes and gets a group of friends together for a trip into the mountains? It was all so strange, considering Judy's depression of the last month and a half. But Bonnie wouldn't complain. Seeing her daughter making plans with friends and getting out of the burrow was a great thing. Especially since one of those friends was a buck who had a crush on Judy. Oh, this mountain trip was perfect for them to really discuss their feelings and make plans for the future.

"Well, okay," Bonnie finally said. With a smile, she added, "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you get ready." With an even brighter smile, she added, "Say 'hi' to Ryan for me." Waving her fingers towards Judy, she added, "And bring him by sometime, I'd love to meet him."

Judy had to forcibly stop her eyes from rolling (and possibly clue her mom in to the hustle she was pulling on her). "Mom, we're just friends. We're having lunch to catch up on old times, nothing more." She knew her mom's imagination was already running away with her, and the more Judy denied the relationship the more her mom would be convinced of it. It was crazy, but that was her mom.

"Well, that's how the best relationships start, honey," Bonnie said while completely ignoring her daughter's insistence that they were just friends. The buck had a crush on Judy in high school, Judy actually felt comfortable around him, they were going out to lunch, and they would be taking a trip to the mountains together—could Bonnie read anything else into this than her little Bun-bun was finally going to get herself a boyfriend?

Holding a paw up as she began backing up towards the back door, Judy hastily said, "Well, look, Mom, if I'm going to make it to that brunch with Ryan, I better get going. The Leaps' ranch is a good hour or more ride away." With a little wave as she stumbled back in her hurry to escape her mom and her machinations for her future, Judy said, "I'll see you later, Mom. Love ya."

"Love you, too, Bun-bun." Bonnie watched her daughter twirl around and practically sprint for the door, but she didn't mind. She had wedding plans to plan. _Will Judy be willing to wear my wedding dress_, Bonnie wondered. Most does worked on their wedding dresses in high school, but not all of them finished (some were more dedicated than others), in which case, they would usually borrow one of their sisters' finished dresses. Some of her other daughters had asked Bonnie if they could use her dress, and she was more than happy to oblige. But Judy was one of her few daughters who looked most like her, so Bonnie always secretly hoped Judy would wear her wedding dress, too. Judy wasn't thinking of marriage in high school, so of course, she didn't finish her dress.

Judy was halfway out the door when she remembered her other plans for tonight. Turning to look over her shoulder, she called back to her mom, saying, "I won't be home for dinner tonight." At Bonnie's curious glance, Judy explained, "I ran into Bobby Cutmaul yesterday while riding through town and he invited me to have dinner tonight with him and his family. I'm not sure when I'll be back."

Bonnie was again surprised. Judy's world was really opening up all of a sudden. She was getting out and making new friends, hanging out with old friends, and planning for the future. Her little girl must have finally gotten over her depressive funk and Bonnie wondered what gave her the push to get up and start living again. It had to be something big, but she couldn't think of anything that happened to her little Bun-bun recently. The only unusual thing she could think of is the long night ride Judy had gone on and all that thinking she had done two nights ago.

With her message given (and the excuse to hopefully avoid seeing her mom the rest of the day), Judy turned around and hopped off the back porch and sprinted for the barn. She couldn't believe her mom had actually set her up with another buck! It was outrageous! Why couldn't her mom just leave well enough alone!? She wasn't interested in any buck! All she wanted was her fox! And the thought of dragging poor Ryan into her mom's fruitless plans of getting her married off just rankled Judy. What would he think of her?

It wasn't till she was thirty minutes into her ride that Judy realized she had never made it down to her room to pick up her phone. With a scowl, she slapped the saddle-horn. "_Mother_, why can't you just leave me and my love-life alone!?" she cried out in frustration. JD squawked in reply as the wind blew by them while making the tall grass sway as they rode through it.

Although Judy couldn't think of anyone trying to get a hold of her besides Patty-Mae, or possibly Ryan, with her riding out alone in the countryside, having a phone on paw should an accident occur was a smart idea. But she wasn't going to ride all the way back home just to pick up her stupid phone. She was halfway to the Leap's ranch as it was, so she continued forward. As the Leap's ranch was on the outskirts of Bunnyburrow on the left side of the town, it meant she didn't have to ride through or around the town proper and could just cut through the fields and open countryside to reach it.

With a huff, she tried to push her mom's meddlesome actions aside and thought about what they might need to buy at the hardware store. In the back of her mind, though, she couldn't help but wonder if, and when, Nick might show up looking for her. With JD's ground eating gait, Judy looked out over the open grassy meadow while wondering what it would be like to see Nick again. She didn't dare hope for a kiss, but a hug would be nice. That wasn't too much to ask for . . . _was it?_

-/-/-

Nick and Gideon climbed back into the truck after delivering the last four pies to a prairie dog family. They seemed much nicer than the prairie dogs he'd met that first day in Bunnyburrow. With a wide grin spreading across his face, Nick was enjoying getting to know more of the locals. Looking up at the deep blue sky, Nick saw that it was another beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly in the late morning sky, big puffy clouds were scuttling across the sky and inspiring the imagination of every young kit who looked at them, while a warm summer breeze blew by and ruffled his fur.

"Ya ready to head back ta the bakery?" Gideon asked as he reached forward to start the delivery truck.

Nick held a finger up as he pulled out his phone, saying, "Just give me a sec." Calling Judy, he scowled when her phone went directly to voicemail again. Not bothering to leave another message, he texted Shaylee letting her know he was headed that way. Without looking up from his phone as he typed the message, he asked Gideon, "Do you think you can drop me off at the rodeo grounds? Since I can't get a hold of Judy I'm going to help set up. Maybe win some brownie points with her family."

Gideon's ears perked up and his tail began wagging. "That's a right smart idea, Nick. Meet her parents and a bunch of her family and then you won't have to worry about showing up at their burrow and getting arrested for tresspassin'."

Nick nodded as he sent the text, then put his phone away and looked up to meet Gideon's grinning face. "Yeah, Shaylee said she'd introduce me to everyone." With a shrug, he added, "I guess we'll see where we go from there." With a smug grin, he added, "Who knows, I might even be invited to dinner."

Gideon could only shake his head as he eased the truck back onto the road and headed for the rodeo grounds. With a tilt of his head while looking at his fellow fox from the corner of his eye, he said, "Well, if it was a few months ago, I, I, I'd say no way, but now . . . who knows? Ya might just get asked."

Nick nodded and they filled the drive to the rodeo grounds with easy talk as Gideon pointed out the different properties they passed, along with who owned them and some light story of the various mammals. It gave Nick a greater understanding—_and appreciation_—for Judy and her hometown.

Once Gideon dropped Nick off, it didn't take him long to spot Shaylee, but she wasn't alone. Five other rabbits were standing with her. Two more does and three bucks. With a raised brow, Nick walked over to them. Shaylee didn't wait for him to arrive, though, and sprinted over and gave him a big hug around his middle which nearly knocked him over with the force of it. Nick's eyes widened as he stepped back and braced himself. It took him a moment to respond with a paw loosely resting against the middle of her back as he patted her lightly with the other paw. Foxes weren't normally touchy-feely mammals outside their immediate family: parents, siblings, their mate, and kits. So, this was new. But Nick knew Shaylee was simply being nice to him (and possibly buttering him up for her sister), so he went along with it.

As Shaylee stepped back, she clasped her paws behind her back and rocked on her heels as she asked eagerly (but in a low voice to avoid being overheard), "How's my favorite brother-in-law this morning?"

Nick rolled his eyes while folding his arms across his chest. With a swish of his long, bushy tail, he replied, "We're not married yet." Pointing to her lightly twitching nose with a clawed finger, he added, "I said, I'm thinking about it, but I still need to see Judy first. There's a lot of things we need to discuss, both about the past and the future, as well as what we both want from the relationship. Nothing is set in stone until I see her."

Shaylee merely beamed at him with a bright, knowing smile. "I'm not worried. Judy said she wanted you, and since you're not opposed to the idea, then she won't stop until she has you."

Nick tilted his head curiously, even as one of his ears canted down. "That really doesn't bother you? The idea of me and Judy together?" Shaking his head a moment, he clarified, "The idea of me running my teeth and claws all over your sister's body doesn't . . . _disturb you?"_

Shaylee shook her head. "This is Judy we're talking about, so, _no_, it doesn't. She's always been the weird one interested in non-bunny activities, so her falling for you is just another item on the long list of odd things Judy has done in her life." With a shrug and a teasing grin, she added, "She became a big city cop, so why not fall for a city fox, as well. Especially since you fought for her dream and helped her become that big city cop." With a giggle, Shaylee whispered, "I can't fault her for falling for you. You're a keeper, Nick."

Nick was surprised for a moment, but then shook his head as his tail continued swishing gently behind him. He was beginning to think Shaylee was just as strange as her sister, but he would take strange over bigotry and specism any day.

Running a paw down his face, he met Shaylee's bright smile again and had to smile himself. Finding out about Judy's attraction to him (and his own attraction to her) was a bit intimidating, especially as most mammals didn't like foxes, nor would they quietly sit back while they saw a fox getting touchy-feely with a rabbit. So, to see Shaylee's happy and enthusiastic acceptance of him and his possible relationship with Judy was a breath of fresh air. _Strange_—but refreshing.

At the sound of soft paws on dirt and gravel, Nick glanced over Shaylee's head to see the five bunnies she had been with now headed their way. Shaylee heard the noise too and turned around to give the rabbits a bright smile. Motioning to the fox beside her, she introduced him to her family. "This is Nick Wilde." Glancing at Nick, Shaylee then introduced her siblings and cousins. "Nick, this is my sister Brandi, my cousin Melanie, and these two handsome bucks are my brothers, Ben and Aaron, and this young buck is my cousin Marty."

Stepping forward, Marty shook Nick's paw and said, "Judy can be a real handful sometimes, you sure you're up to it?"

Nick's eyes widened as his ears flicked back. Tensing at the implication of the buck's statement, his anxious emeralds quickly found Shaylee's confident brown gaze. "Shaylee," he asked carefully, "what . . .?"

With an apologetic shrug, Shaylee answered, "I was driving when your text came in, so I had Melanie check it." While rocking back on her heels again, she added, "I wasn't expecting a confession of marriage and kits from you so soon." As Nick's ears disappeared against his head, Shaylee giggled. "Don't worry, Nick, you're safe here." Nodding towards her siblings and cousins, she pointed out, "Aaron here is dating a pica, Brandi is dating a jackrabbit, Melanie once dated a prairie dog, Marty is over the moon at winning the bet he made that Judy would fall for a predator, and Ben here wants your help in restoring his classic mustang."

Marty and Aaron both nodded at Shaylee's words, Melanie gave him a shy smile, Brandi simply watched curiously and with a bit of reservation, even as Ben stepped up to shake his paw, asking, "Is it true you restored your 1971 Triumph TR6?"

Nick raised an eyebrow and glanced at Shaylee again. Just how much did she tell them about him!? Shaylee gave another shrug as if to say 'sorry'. "I didn't say where we hid your car, but it's a good thing we did hide it, considering Daryl, Roger, and Billy slipped out early this morning."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I saw them at the bakery." At Shaylee's expression of alarm, Nick waved a paw to placate her and said, "Don't worry. They haven't caused any trouble yet." With a flick of his ear and swish of his tail, he added, "I think they were just scoping out the place and trying to get a feel for me." With a smug look, he added, "Sucks to be them since I'm here now." Shaylee laughed, and Nick then turned back to Ben to answer his question. "Yes, I restored my 1971 Triumph, but I wasn't able to find all the parts I needed since it's a foreign car, so I had to swap some parts out for more modern ones." With a sad shake of his head, he added, "Needless to say, I'm pretty much barred from entering it into any Classic Car Show."

"Oh," Ben said a bit dejectedly. But after a moment of thought, he perked up, asking, "Do you think you'd know how to find parts for a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss?"

Nick's ears immediately perked up and his tail began wagging. "You have a '69 Ford Boss? Which model? A 302 or a 429?"

A wide grin spread across Ben's face. "A 429."

Nick's tail began wagging even more. The '69 Ford Boss 429 was even rarer than his British convertible. The engine the Boss used was originally built for Nascar but was pulled at the last minute and put in a mustang. The engine was so big, though, that they had to modify the mustang to fit the oversized engine, and they still had to put the battery in the trunk of the car because it no longer fit under the hood. The racing engine made the car a real beast on the open highway, but it also made it difficult to handle when taking corners. But on a straight course, few cars of its class could beat it.

As Nick, Ben, Aaron, and even Marty, started talking shop about Ben's car (Nick figured he could rope Finnick in to help in its restoration for no other reason than the crotchety little fennec loved working on these old cars), Melanie leaned over to whisper in Shaylee's ear. "You're right," she said in a low voice that didn't carry past her cousin. "He is a hot fox. I'm really interested in hearing him sing now." Looking the tall, lean fox over, Melanie was impressed, not just by his looks but by the fact he actually knew what her cousins were talking about when it came to Ben's old car.

Brandi, on the other paw, simply stood back and watched the slick todd work his magic. She had enough respect for Judy that she was willing to give the city fox the benefit of the doubt, and seeing how intelligent he was helped. She couldn't see Judy being with someone who couldn't keep up with her physically and intellectually. And by the looks of it, Nick could do both.

As the boys talked shop and the girls looked on with interest, an older brown rabbit wearing blue overalls and a green baseball cap with a carrot printed on the front, walked up to them. Hooking his thumbs behind the straps of his overalls, Stu Hopps looked over the group of rabbits and the tall red fox in a black Stetson talking animatedly with the boys in the group.

Turning to the girls, Stu nodded towards the todd wearing blue jeans and a sky-blue shirt with a slight V-neck and asked, "Who's the fox?"

Shaylee's ears perked as her face brightened. Stepping over to her father, she hooked her arm through his and said, "Hello, Dad, you're just the bunny I wanted to see."

"Oh," Stu said with a raised brow even as he watched the boys turn to greet him. The fox clasped his paws behind his back and nodded towards him respectfully. Stu nodded back, impressed with the fox's manners.

Shaylee nodded as she said with a smile, "Dad, this is Nick Wilde, he's from Zootopia and is a friend of Judy's."

Stu's eyes widened. Judy had never mentioned a city fox she had made friends with, nor did this fox dress like a city fox. "You're a friend of Judy's?" he asked before glancing back at Shaylee. She nodded, giving him a wide a smile, so he turned back to the tall red fox. Seeing as the fox was friends with Judy and that Shaylee vouched for him, most of his concerns for the larger predator disappeared. The way his boys were excitedly talking to Nick also helped. Aaron and Ben were a couple of his oldest sons and they were both a good judge of character.

Nick stepped forward and held out his paw. "That's right, Mr. Hopps. I helped Judy find all those missing mammals, but we had a falling out over her press conference. I'm here to make it right with Judy. I shouldn't have walked out on her like I did." Nick wanted to be up front with Judy's dad. Although being a conmammal made him an excellent liar, when dealing with Judy, and by association her family, he didn't want to build their relationship on lies. He had seen all too often what happens when lies are brought into a serious relationship, and he didn't want his and Judy's friendship to be a house of cards. And if he wanted her dad's approval—whatever his and Judy's relationship became—Nick knew he had to be honest with the old buck.

As Stu shook the todd's larger paw, he was impressed the fox was being so open with him and how he treated his daughter. Most mammals would try to hide or brush off their wrong doings, but this city fox came right out and admitted to his faults. And the fact he wanted to make things right by Judy gave him a better impression of the red todd.

"Well," Stu said as he lifted his paw to scratch his head. "I'm glad to meet you, Nick, and call me Stu." Straightening the cap on his head, he saidd, "I'm sorry to say that Judy isn't here right now." With a nod back towards the way the fox had come, he added, "You might find her at the house, though."

Shaylee shook her head. "I tried finding Judy when I got up this morning, but she left for an early morning ride and I can't get a hold of her now."

Taking his paw back, Nick nodded at Shaylee's words. "I tried calling Judy this morning too, but she didn't answer my call, either. Now her phone just goes to voicemail, so I think she forgot to charge it and it died."

Stu nodded as he put his cap back on his head. "Well, if you're not here for Judy, then what are you here for?"

"Well, I heard you were setting up for the rodeo, and since I have nothing better to do, I figured I'd offer my services while I'm waiting to see Judy."

Stu immediately perked up. "Really!?" With a light chuckle as he hooked his thumbs back through his overall straps, he said, "I was just telling Bonnie the other day that we needed more larger mammals to help out." Stepping up, he clapped Nick on the back, "Well, I won't turn down any help. The rodeo is just around the corner and we have tons left to do."

With perked ears, Nick spread his paws and said, "Well, I'm here so put me to work."

Stu waved his paw forward as he chuckled, saying, "Right this way, my boy."

Nick's tail was wagging as he followed Judy's father. He wasn't afraid of hard work and this was probably the most worthwhile work he'd done in a long time. Furthermore, being able to work with the older buck would give him a greater understanding of Judy and her family. And although he had no intention of hustling Judy's family, the basic principles of a good con would help him get in good with them. The first rule of a good con was to know your target, and what better way to get to know the targets than to get his paws dirty working alongside them?

As Stu led Nick into the hustle and bustle of putting up a rodeo, Ben stepped up next to him and said, "Nick, you have to come to the house afterwards and look at my car." With a wide grin, he added, "You'll have a better chance of meeting Judy, too, if you're there."

Nick's ears immediately perked towards the dark-gray and black buck walking beside him, even as his tail began wagging a little faster. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."

Ben beamed happily at his younger sister's love-interest and was really warming up to the tall todd. Furthermore, he was actually starting to see hope in actually getting his '69 Ford Boss up and running.

Melanie stepped up next to her uncle. "Uncle Stu," she said, "Do you think Nick could stay for dinner? Shaylee says he's a fantastic singer and an excellent guitarist. You know how much the kerfluffle loves music and singing." Glancing around Stu to meet Nick's stunned gaze, Melanie hastily added, "I mean, if that's okay with you, Nick."

Nick didn't immediately answer as he cocked his head, murmuring, "Kerfluffle?"

"Oh, that's all the kits ten years and younger," Stu explained proudly. "There's usually about fifty of them running through the burrow at any given time."

Nick's jaw went slack as he stared dumbfounded at the older buck. _"Fifty!?"_ he squeaked out in a shocked whisper.

Stepping up behind the red todd, Shaylee poked him in the back, saying, "Don't worry, Nick, the kits will love you."

Looking over his shoulder at the gray rabbit who looked and acted so much like Judy, Nick met her gaze for several heartbeats, and then a wide smile spread across his face. Rule #2 of a good con: Make friends with the target's friends and/or family (his target being Judy's parents and the other adults in her family). Looking over at Melanie again, Nick replied, "I would love to come play and sing for your family."

Melanie clapped her paws together as a soft squeal escaped her lips. "Oh, I can't wait!" she said with a bright smile. Since Nick had won the approval of both her cousins, Judy and Shaylee, then Melanie was willing to help him out as much as she could. And if Nick could win the kerfluffle over, then Mandy's plans of driving the todd from town would crumble like a house of cards in a windstorm. The kits would stick to the todd like flies to a dung pile, leaving Daryl and the others unable to catch him alone to harass him.

With a snap of his fingers, Nick said, "I could play the Disney song, The Ugly Bug Ball." Waving his paw in the air, he added, "That was always one of my favorites when I was a kit."

"Really!?" Shaylee exclaimed excitedly. "Mine, too! And Judy's, too. She always started dancing whenever someone was playing this song. With how a lot of mammals treated her for wanting to be a cop, I think Judy sometimes felt like an ugly bug."

Nick's ears perked again as this gave him something more to think about. If Judy felt like she was some plain Jane or an ugly bug, he would be sure to shower Judy with compliments on how beautiful she was to him.

Tilting her head in thought, Brandi said, "You know, we have all those Halloween bug costumes for the kits—bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and grasshoppers. We could pull them out and let the kits dress up in them."

"Yeah!" Marty agreed. "We could have our own Ugly Bug Ball tonight." Marty immediately recognized what the girls were doing in giving Nick a chance to showcase his talents and win the family over through music. If Judy and Nick were to have a chance at a serious relationship, they needed most of the family to like him—starting with the kerfluffle. If Nick could win them over, most of their parents would follow suit.

"We could hold it outside close to sunset," Aaron suggested. "The fireflies will come out once the sun sets and then the kits can dance among them."

"That's a great idea!" Stu agreed. "I'll talk it over with Bonnie when she brings lunch." Rubbing his paws together, he added, "Oh, this is going to be great." While listening to the younger rabbits discuss the upcoming party with their fox friend, Stu glanced at the various bunnies they passed going about putting up food, craft, and game stalls, cleaning up the grounds of all the weeds that had grown up since the last event had been held here at the Rodeo Grounds, along with putting up rows and rows of bleachers for everyone watching the events to sit on.

This is where Stu was leading the crew. Since rabbits weren't the best climbers, especially when carrying heavy metal poles or wooden boards that made up the stands, they were finding it difficult to finish setting up the top rows of the bleachers.

Stopping in front of the half-assembled stands, Stu waved towards them and the rabbits painstakingly trying to haul the heavy poles and boards up to the upper stands. "Well, Nick, this is where we need the most help."

Nick looked up at the metal poles being assembled to house the steps and seats of the bleachers and a wide grin spread across his face. This was going to be a cake walk, seeing as this wasn't much different than what he did to haul all those jumbo pops up the drainpipe of a two-story building back in Sahara Square. "I got this," he told Stu. "Just tell me what you want me to haul up first, and I'll get started."

Rule #3 of a good con: Appear helpful, but harmless. If you make prey believe that all your foxy, predatory abilities (strength, stamina, and agility) are not actually threatening, but a useful asset to them, then they were more likely to fall for the con and buy whatever you were selling. Of course, in this instance, Nick was trying to sell himself to the Hopps family, but Judy and their friendship was well worth it.

Stu was a little surprised. He half expected the todd to ask for something easier. But not only did the red fox not try to wheedle out of the heavy labor, he seemed excited to be doing it. The old buck was starting to see why Judy made friends with the city fox. And since Nick was one of the predators Judy hurt with her specist speech, maybe it would help his little bun-bun if she could apologize to and make things right with the friendly todd. Stu could only hope.

After directing Nick and the others on what to do, Stu stood back and watched the talented todd climbing, hauling, and jumping from pole to pole as he helped step up the heavy (for rabbits) stands. Impressed again by the city fox whom his strong-willed daughter had befriended, Stu then headed off to check on the rest of the stuff being put up for the rodeo, all the while looking forward to the impromptu Ugly Bug Ball they would be having tonight at the burrow.

* * *

WingedKatt here. Is anyone else cursing Bonnie yet? Judy would have her phone by now if not for her meddling. Nick is doing well with her family at least, so there should be fewer bumps in the road when they finally do meet. Next chapter, Judy will have to explain how she used Ryan to hustle her mom. Ryan has an interesting proposition in response, then we'll see what Daryl and his cronies are up to. We'll also meet a few more Bunnyburrow bullies, so stay tuned.

Ch. 19: Scapegoat, will post in 2 weeks. Stay safe. If you have any thoughts or comments, let me know.


	19. Chapter 19: Scapegoat

Judy made good time riding JD. With his longer legs and larger body, he had stamina that the smaller Island Emus lacked, which meant he easily maintained his fast, ground eating gait that was somewhere between a walk and a jog. But as she came up to the long drive that led to the Lazy 'L' Ranch, Judy slowed JD down to a casual walk to cool the large bird down after the long ride.

During the ride, Judy's irritation with her mom's meddling had grown exponentially. This time, her mom hadn't simply set her up on a blind date, but she had basically set her up with a live-in boyfriend. Judy knew partners in Search and Rescue shared living quarters. They would have separate beds, of course, but if they started dating like Bonnie was hoping they would, it wouldn't take _Jazzy_ (What kind of name was that, anyways?) long to decide that sleeping in separate beds was a waste of their time together seeing as they were not only dating but already living together. Especially since partners in Search and Rescue typically spent a lot of time alone together as they patrolled the vast forests that covered the mountains.

Of course, if it was _Nick_ she was spending long hours patrolling with, and who she was rooming with—_and dating_—then Judy would probably see the extra bed as a waste, too. But that was only if it was _Nick_ and he actually saw her as something much more than a friend, something _permanent_. _Not_ some buck she had never met and who had such a weird sounding name. Not that Judy usually had a problem with weird names. Quite a few residents of Bunnyburrow came up with some very colorful names for their kits, so Judy was more likely to pity the poor kit than tease him.

But for her mom to try and force her into such a relationship using such underhanded methods had her temper flaring. Judy had shared her hopes for the future with her mom in confidence, so for Bonnie to use her new dream as a means to marry her off was more than Judy could stomach. Scowling at the impossible situation her mom had tried to set her up in (she was a grown doe with her own life to live, for crying out loud!), Judy kneaded the reins between her fingers as her ears lay stiff against her back. The fact she had to drag Ryan into her hustle in order to head Bonnie off irked her even worse.

Judy had just reconnected with Ryan, had officially friend-zoned him (Patty-Mae assured her he was fine with it), and now her mom was expecting them to get married, and by the end of summer, Judy was sure, if Bonnie had any say in it. Judy knew she would have to tell Ryan about her little hustle so he wasn't surprised when he met Bonnie and she started treating him like a long-lost son-in-law.

Hitting the saddle horn, Judy growled under her breath, "Mom, just stay out of my love-life! I already know who I'm going to marry, whether you accept him or not!" Judy knew she couldn't tell her mom about falling for Nick, otherwise Bonnie would redouble her efforts of marrying her daughter off to the first buck who would take her.

Although Bonnie was slowly (emphasis on the word _'slowly'_) warming up to her kits marrying outside their species (Bonnie had to accept it or miss out on several of her kits' weddings), there was no way Judy's mother would be fine with one of them marrying a predator, especially a _fox_. Gideon had really cemented the 'dangerous, untrustworthy' fox stereotype in her parents' minds when he clawed her as a kit. The fact they had given Gideon a second chance and agreed to partner with him was still a huge shock to Judy. She was proud of her parents, but still shocked.

But still, being business partners with a fox, or even a close friend to one, was completely different from dating or marrying one. That just wasn't something Judy could see her mom being okay with. Although Bonnie was more supportive of Judy having predator friends when she was growing up, she would still warn her daughter to be careful around her friends' sharp claws and not to rough house with them.

Her mom was constantly reminding her that her predator friends weren't rabbits and so she absolutely could not get pawsy with them like she would other rabbits, that she had to maintain a respectful distance with them (not that Judy listened once she was at their houses). So if Bonnie were to learn that Judy not only wanted to get pawsy with Nick, but that she also hoped to one day feel his killer claws sliding through her fur and his sharp teeth nipping at her skin before he completely devoured her—Bonnie wouldn't be able to sleep at night until she had her daughter wedded to a 'respectable' buck—'respectable' meaning any buck who would take her and remove the 'threat' of this predator having his 'wicked way' with her daughter.

With a huff, Judy tried to push her negative feelings back down as she rode through the gates of the Lazy 'L' Ranch. Riding towards the barns while looking around, she spotted the kits from yesterday riding around in the corral while practicing their showmanship. With a grin, Judy recalled several of her siblings and a few of her friends riding around the corral with the chest puffed out while trying to prove they both looked (the kits were dressed in their fanciest cowboy outfits, with their birds wearing fancy bridles, saddles, chest piece, and leg guards) and rode better than the competition (they all sat straight in the saddle with their shoulders back and their chins up while posing for imaginary judges).

Seeing as Ryan's brothers weren't around to harass her and feeling immensely grateful for that fact, Judy rode over to the fence and called to the one kit whose name she knew. "Hi, Alec."

Alec turned around in the saddle to see who was calling him. Seeing the gray doe from yesterday, he called over, "Hey, Judy! You lookin' for Patty-Mae again?"

Judy shook her head. "Not right now. I'm here to see your Uncle Ryan. Is he around?"

Alec nodded, then pointed off to one of the large, wooden sheds on the property, this one painted a light sky blue. "He's over in the Carpentry Shed fixin' a saddle."

"Thanks, Alec," Judy replied as she turned JD's head and rode to the shed. After tying the reins around a fence post, Judy entered the shed and looked around. There was sawdust everywhere, along with several different table saws and tools used in woodworking. She also saw quite a few piles of boards, neatly stacked according to their size. Judy could tell right away that the wood was being used to make furniture. There were several dressers and chest of drawers in various stages of being built, along with a large dining room table with matching chairs. The table and chairs, though, were much too big for a rabbit to sit at, which made Judy wonder which large mammal in town had ordered it.

Deciding that was a question for another time, she spied Ryan sitting at a long table in the back. Just as Alec had said, Ryan was leaning over a saddle sitting on the table as he was replacing a couple of the side straps. His long ears (which were a medium tan with darker hairs mixed in) were drooping slightly over the saddle's hard back as he leaned over it. With his attention on his fingers and the straps he was working with, he didn't see her enter the shed which gave Judy a chance to get a good look at him.

Having not seen him in years, Judy had to admit that Ryan looked good. He was wearing a dark pair of blue jeans and a short-sleeved, dark-tan button up cowboy shirt with black trim that matched his tan and black fur perfectly. She could also tell that he had put on a bit of muscle as her friend now filled out his shirt nicely.

Walking over to him, Judy watched his tan ear flick in her direction, but he didn't look up as he was focused on his work. Stepping up to the table, Judy gripped the back of a chair sitting across from her friend and said, "Hey, Ryan, how's it going?"

Ryan jumped and nearly fell off his chair. Gripping his shirt covering the spot where his heart was now frantically pounding, Ryan exclaimed, "Geez, Judy, give a guy a heart attack, why don't you!?"

With her ears drooping, a small, apologetic smile lifted the corners of Judy's mouth as she murmured, "Sorry. I thought you heard me."

Taking a deep breath, Ryan rubbed his chest for a moment, saying, "Yeah, I heard you, but I figured you were one of my brothers come in to grab a tool. I wasn't expecting anyone to talk to me."

With a shrug, Judy repeated, "Sorry."

Ryan waved off her apology and then motioned towards the chair she stood behind. "Have a seat." Watching his high school crush sit across from him, Ryan tilted his head curiously and asked, "So what's up? I thought you were coming later this afternoon." Before meeting her yesterday, Ryan hadn't seen Judy in years and yet she looked as cute today as she did back in high school. Her gray fur had a silvery hue to it and her vibrant purple eyes shimmered like cut amethysts. The only difference Ryan could see from the doe he knew then to the doe standing before him now was that her confidence had taken a hit. In high school, her eyes had always been clear with determination—she knew where she was going, she had absolute confidence in getting there, and she wasn't going to let anyone get in her way.

But now, when meeting her bright, amethyst gaze, Ryan could see a hint of doubt and worry clouding her vision. With the protests and violence that had swept through Zootopia immediately after her speech, coupled with so many predators fleeing the city after losing their homes and jobs, along with being hounded and mistreated by prey, Ryan could understand the hit to Judy's confidence. But now, knowing about Nick Wilde, Ryan understood her doubt and worry even better. Having fallen in love with a predator from the big city, and not knowing where he was, how he was doing, or if she would ever see him again, while also worrying about whether he could or would ever forgive her for her thoughtless words and actions—of course Judy had lost some of her fearless confidence.

Nodding, Judy replied, "That was the plan, but I had to escape my mom, so here I am." Spreading her paws across the table, she gave a weak chuckle, but then a blush darkened her ears as she remembered how she hustled her mom. Glancing off towards the left, Judy saw one of the table saws that did decorative molding.

Ryan sat back in his chair, the saddle in front of him already forgotten. Judy wasn't acting like she did yesterday. While trying to figure out why she was suddenly acting bashful, he played with a faux leather strip in his paws. He already knew he was friend-zoned and that Judy was in love with a city fox. So why did she need to see him and why was she being all bashful about it? Did she think he would read more into her being here than she wanted him to?

With a flick of his ear, he asked, "Judy, why are you here?" At her sharp and somewhat guilty look (why was she feeling guilty?), Ryan sat up straighter and hurriedly said, "Not that I'm not happy to see you! I'm glad you're here . . . I'm just a bit confused is all."

As her nose started twitching, he ran a paw through his headfur and pointed out, "If all you wanted to do was escape your mom, you just needed to hop in the saddle and take a ride down the lane, not ride an hour away just to see me. I mean," Ryan pointed to himself with the faux leather strips, "I'm friend-zoned and you have the hots for Nick, right?" At Judy's nod, he added, "_Sooo_, why are you here?"

Judy's shoulders slumped as a heavy sigh escaped her. Putting her face in her paws, she groaned. "I hustled my mom today and the hustle involved you."

Ryan sat up straighter as his eyes widened. "What did she do? And what did you do?"

Rubbing her face in her palms, Judy mumbled, "Like you said, I'm in love with Nick, but I'm pretty sure my mom is convinced that you and I will be dating by the end of the day. In the hour it's taken me to ride here, she probably has our whole wedding planned and the names of our first litter picked out." Judy peaked through her fingers to see Ryan's shocked expression.

Blinking, Ryan muttered, "Wow." With a shake of his head, he repeated, "Just—wow." He wasn't mad at Judy for involving him in such a scheme. He even found it kinda funny in a backwards sort of way. He was highly interested, though, in learning how Bonnie would be convinced of all this. Motioning towards Judy with his faux leather strips, he said, "Okay, so how did all this come about?"

Judy groaned again, then grabbed her ears and pulled on them. After a moment, she released her ears and sat up. Spreading her paws out across the table again, she said, "Okay, so I told my mom about wanting to join Search and Rescue the other night and she seemed happy enough." With a huff, she added, "I naïvely thought that she'd back down on getting me married off since I had a new goal to work towards." Scowling now, Judy continued, "_Wrong_. I came in this morning from working with Toot-toot and my mom's there to inform me that she already found me a trainer/partner/live-in boyfriend up at Search and Rescue, and ain't I _sooo lucky_—I get to go to the rodeo with him this weekend!"

Ryan sat in shock as he watched Judy pull on her ears again while scowling at the memories of what her mom was up to. Running a paw through his head fur, Ryan then leaned forward and asked, "She seriously did all of that?!"

Pulling on her ears while her nose twitched, Judy exclaimed, "Yes! She can't wait for me to pack my bags and move up there with him!" Ryan's jaw went slack and Judy released her ears and threw her paws up in the air. "My lifelong dream just went up in smokes, I ruined the best friendship I've ever had, Zootopia is tearing itself apart because of what I said, and all my mom can think about is getting me married off and pregnant so I can finally _'experience the joys of motherhood'_ as she puts it." Judy used air quotes at her mom's words. Grabbing her ears again, she moaned out, "As if getting married and having kits will solve everything."

Ryan sat back and shook his head, feeling extremely glad his mother wasn't like that. Of course, it helped that jackrabbits, like most hares, had far fewer kits than most rabbits. Shaking his head again, he met Judy's dismal expression and said, "Wow. Okay, I now know why you're hiding from your mother." With his nose twitching at his friend's plight, he said, "So how do I factor into all this?" Ryan pointed to himself.

Judy's dismal expression turned to one of guilt as she pulled her ears over to hide her face. "I told my mom about meeting you yesterday, and how I learned you'd had a crush on me in high school." Taking a deep breath, she continued saying, "That I would have dated you if you had asked, and that we were meeting for brunch today and going shopping at the hardware store for supplies for our cabin-fixing trip tomorrow morning."

Ryan's eyes widened again as his nose continued twitching. With a flick of his ear, he exclaimed, "You told her we were dating!?"

Releasing her ears, Judy sat up and exclaimed back, "Of course not! I told her we were meeting as friends to catch up on old times. And I did tell her Patty-Mae and Joey were going to the mountains with us." Shaking her head, she added, "Do you know what my mom said when I told her we were just friends?" At Ryan's head shake, she said, _"That's how the best relationships start._"

At Ryan's shocked gaze, Judy grabbed her ears again and hid behind them as she dropped her face onto the table. "I'm sorry. I know it was stupid, but I was so desperate to get my mom off my back." Groaning, she added, "That's no excuse, though. I shouldn't have used you to hustle her." With her voice dropping down to a mere whisper, she mumbled, "I'll completely understand if you don't want to see me again."

Ryan's ears dropped at seeing Judy wallowing in her misery. With a heavy sigh, he replied, "I'm not mad at you, Judy. If my mom did that to me, I'd probably do the same thing." Shaking his head, he added, "If I'm mad at anyone, it would be your mom for putting you in this position."

Judy lifted her face enough to peak at Ryan from behind her ears. "You mean that?"

Ryan nodded, then turned to look at a pile of tigerwood as he thought for a moment. Tapping his chin with the faux leather strip, he then turned to Judy and said, "Okay, here's the deal—I'll let you use me as a scapegoat to keep your mom off of your back, but in return, you have to help me out with a small problem of my own."

Sitting up, Judy physically brightened as she clapped her paws together. "Really!? Yes! I'll do anything to help. Just tell me what I can do, and I'll do it."

"Okay, I'm in a similar boat as you when it comes to my love-life."

Judy blinked as this was the last thing she expected Ryan to say. "What?"

Ryan leaned over the table and grinned. "Let's just say you're not the only one who fell for a predator." Judy's ears perked forward as her jaw dropped on the table. At her stunned silence, Ryan grinned widely and explained, "I've liked this girl for over two years, but she's hot one minute and cold the next so I can't figure out if she likes me or not. I need _you_ to talk to her and figure out if she feels the same way about me or if I'm just seeing things that aren't there."

Judy nodded, but then asked, "I can do this, but if you think she might like you, why haven't you just asked her?"

Ryan ran his blunt claws through his head fur. "Like your fox, there's a lot of stigmas about her species, so she's been bullied a lot in the past. I'm afraid if I ask her out and she's not interested, and word gets out, that a lot of hateful rumors might start up. Then again, if she is interested, she might be afraid to date me for the same reason, and that might be why she keeps acting hot and cold all the time."

Judy immediately understood where Ryan was coming from. Although interspecies couples were gaining ground, a pred-prey relationship was unheard of, and if one of the species (or both) was already looked down on by society, being together could bring down a lot worse bigotry and harassment. Some mammals wouldn't be able to handle the added slander and specism—the _hate_ that might be leveled at them for loving someone so different from themselves.

This made Judy worry about her own love-life. Even if Nick came to love her, would he be willing to face worse prejudice than he had already faced? With a shake of her head, she amended, _What he __continued__ to face on a daily basis?_ Did she have a right to ask him to stick his neck out for her if the world decided a predator and prey shouldn't be together?

Ryan watched the play of emotions that crossed Judy's face. Surprise, understanding, and then worry. Ryan didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know what she was worrying about. "You're thinking about Nick and whether he'd want to be in a relationship with a rabbit even if he does like you?"

Judy's ears drooped. "Is it that obvious?" she asked.

Ryan gave a light chuckle. "I wouldn't worry too much. If Nick was willing to risk his life to keep you alive and support your dream, and had even agreed to struggle through the ZPA to become a big city fox cop alongside you, then I don't think he'll be scared off of dating a rabbit just because there'll be a few mammals who don't approve."

A little hope entered Judy's amethyst gaze. "You really think so? You think he might actually like me?"

Ryan shrugged. "I can't say a hundred percent, but I can't think of another male willing to do all these things for a girl he didn't like."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Judy's mouth and she took a deep breath. With a nod, she said, "Okay, so tell me about the girl you like. What's her name?"

"Her name is Daisy and you can meet her when we're at the hardware store." Ryan paused a moment, then said, "You were serious about going to the hardware store, right?"

Judy nodded. "Yeah. I figured you would have a better idea of what we might need than I do."

Grinning, Ryan stood up saying, "Sounds great. We'll put your bird up and take my truck into town. After brunch we can head over to the store and I'll introduce you to Daisy."

Beaming now, Judy stood up and pushed her chair back under the table. "Okay, and while we're eating, you have to tell me all about her."

Ryan gave a nod as they left the carpentry barn. "I will if you tell me all about Nick."

"Deal," Judy said excitedly. After putting JD in the small pasture to graze, they climbed into Ryan's deep-green crew cab dodge truck. Grinning at each other, and feeling happy in finding another bunny who had a special predator in their heart, they headed into town while discussing what they might need at the store, with Judy making a list from a small notepad she kept in her fanny pack.

-/-/-

Daryl, Roger, and Billy had since been joined by Jerry as they waited for the two pelts (Gideon and the city fox) to return from their morning deliveries. Upon Gideon's return, Daryl was annoyed to see Judy's pelt was no longer with the rotund country fox. Bunnyburrow was a wide, spread out community, which meant the filthy pelt could be anywhere. Heaven forbid Gideon dropped him off at the Hopps' family burrow.

After sitting and fuming for a bit, he got a call from their sister, Susan, saying that the city pelt had shown up at the rodeo grounds and was getting real chummy with their dad and several of their siblings and cousins, Shaylee being the chummiest with the red pelt.

With a scowl, Daryl hung up the phone. Of course, Shaylee would get close to the filthy pelt. Although she didn't hang around a lot of predators like their sister Judy, Shaylee wasn't bothered by them. She even stood up for them when they were getting bullied. It was disgusting how much sympathy she showed them, as if they deserved any sort of compassion.

Shoving his phone in his pocket as he stood up, he turned to his brothers and said, "Come on, we got to get over to the rodeo grounds. Gideon dropped the pelt off there and he's trying to suck up to dad by helping out." With a dark smirk crossing his short muzzle, Daryl added, "I think the pelt might just have an accident while he's there."

As Daryl, Roger, Billy, and Jerry climbed into Daryl's loud pickup truck and drove out of town, a dark green dodge truck drove up and parked outside the café the bucks had been sitting at earlier that morning.

Ryan and Judy climbed out, laughing as they grabbed a chair at one of the outside tables and sat down. After the waiter came and took their order, the two went back to talking, though they waited until their food arrived before Judy told Ryan all about the wild otter chase her and Nick had gone on, how he was such a jerk that first day, and how she had to blackmail him in guise of a hustle, seeing as Nick had hustled her the day before.

Ryan laughed to hear how Judy got back at the slick todd who hustled twenty bucks from her. Then he asked about how things changed between them. Judy admitted that it started when he refused to escape by himself when Manchas was chasing them, but what really changed for her was when Nick stood up to Bogo, the chief of Police, and saved her career. No one had stood up for her like that before. And then he went and helped her prove she was a real cop. After all the danger she put him through—that he willingly went through for her—how could she not fall in love with him?

Ryan agreed wholeheartedly. Patty-Mae had told him a little of what Judy had claimed Nick had done for her, but hearing it firstpaw from Judy herself made him appreciate the todd all that much more, and hoped more than ever that Nick came looking for her. From what he was hearing, Nick needed Judy as much as she needed him.

They were halfway through their meal when Judy asked Ryan about his own flame and Ryan was more than happy to talk about Daisy, the love of his life. After taking a drink of his fresh-squeezed strawberry lemonade, he explained how Daisy's family moved to Bunnyburrow not long after they graduated high school—about the time Judy moved to Podunk to attend college.

Judy nodded as she remembered those days. The first year she was attending college, she came home about every other weekend and her mom and several of her sisters always had a buck lined up for her to date Saturday night. It got so bad she dreaded coming home. The second year at college, she only came home about once a month, but by her last two years at college, Judy only came home for the holidays. But this didn't stop her mom and sisters from somehow conning bucks into waylaying her at college and trying to hook up with her. It got to the point that she began questioning any buck who showed an interest in her.

But that wasn't what was important right now. The important thing right now was learning more about Ryan's mysterious girl. He refused to tell her Daisy's species, stating only that she was bullied a lot, even as a young adult—which is how they met.

The first time she came to town, Daisy got turned around and then ran into some of the town bullies, a gang of miscreants made up of a pawful of sheep with a few rabbits and prairie dogs they used as lackeys. They were led by a larger (large to a rabbit), black-faced ram with two large horns that curled around and framed both sides of his narrow face, one of which was bent, who was known as Butch. Rumor had it, his real name was Francis, a sissy's name according to the ram in question, so he had all his friends call him Butch until the name stuck.

Ryan had been coming out of the hardware store (which is where Daisy now worked), when he heard her crying in an alley as they pushed her around and taunted her with specist slurs. Dropping the bag of nails and screws he'd just bought, Ryan did a jump kick to the back of Butch's head, knocking him unconscious for a few minutes. Ryan knew that if he hit Butch anywhere else, with him being a muscular ram who loved to literally butt heads, that the stubborn sheep would hardly feel the attack. But the back of the head, near the base of the skull was always an effective place to attack.

Ryan learned all about pressure points from taking karate the last two years of high school in an effort to gain some coordination. The first several months attending, he feared it was a wasted effort because if you looked in the dictionary under Klutz/klutziness you would have seen his picture. But Ryan persevered and it really paid off in saving Daisy, because after knocking Butch out with his cheap shot, he had a scuffle with the rest of the gang. But with Butch out of the way, the others didn't put up that much of a fight.

After the others ran away with their tails tucked between their legs, he and Daisy escaped before Butch could wake up and cause more problems. Daisy then helped patch up the few cuts and bruises he received from the scuffle. After he got cleaned up, Ryan showed Daisy around town and then they stopped for an ice cream cone before finding a bench at the park to sit and talk.

Come to find out, he and Daisy had a lot in common. They both loved the countryside and exploring the rolling hills from the back of a bird. And like Ryan, she had taken 4H in middle school and high school and signed up for the barrel racing event at any of the rodeos she was able to attend. And later, when Ryan signed up for his minor in Veterinary Medicine, Daisy signed up too and they shared classes together.

As the days and months went by, they saw a lot more of each other and soon Daisy became his shadow at most of the events held here at Bunnyburrow. Not just the rodeo, but the Carrots Day Festival, the Fair, the big corn maze put on every year at Halloween, and of course the Pumpkin Chunkin Competition each November, along with the normal holiday events (parades, pageants, and dances) that were put on throughout the year during major holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day.

But Daisy was a predator, and a pretty shy one at that due to the bullying her species received, so it took Ryan a couple of years to develop a physical attraction and romantic feelings for her. But he had them now, and desperately wished he knew whether asking her out was a good thing that she wanted as much as he did, or if him asking her out would put her on the spot and cause her problems. She didn't have the highest self-esteem, so Ryan wasn't sure if Daisy just saw him as a really good friend, but nothing more due to him being a jackrabbit and all, or if there was more on her part but she was just too afraid to act on it.

It didn't help that about the time Ryan decided he wanted to ask her out, she started acting hot towards him one minute with being all excited to talk to him, and then turning ice cold the next and refusing to hang out or running from him like he was some pariah. It left him all confused and tied his stomach in knots as he wasn't sure how to proceed. It wouldn't be so much trouble if they were both preds or both prey, but a pred-prey relationship was unheard of in these parts so Ryan wasn't sure what to do.

Judy sympathized with Ryan, as she'd had similar fears herself the last few days since realizing her feelings for Nick. But at the same time, she wasn't going to let fear stand in her way. As long as Nick wanted her back, she wasn't going to let anyone or anything stand in their way—even if they had to live as hermits at Grandma's cabin.

Ryan chuckled. "You know, Judy, if me and Daisy do hook up, you might have to share your cabin with us." At Judy's chuckle and nod of agreement, he glanced off down the street at the mammals going about their lives. "I know Patty-Mae will support us seeing how gung-ho she is about getting you and Nick together, and I know there's quite a few others here in town who probably won't be bothered by a pred-prey relationship, and there are plenty others I think who will keep their opinions to themselves if they don't approve, but then there's mammals like Butch and his gang, and their specist families who won't turn a blind eye."

Judy groaned as she sat back in her chair. "Don't remind me," she said with another groan. "I dread telling my mom about my feelings for Nick, and I'm terrified of a few of my most specist sibling's, aunts, uncles, and grandparents finding out I'm wanting to take a fox as my mate."

Dropping her face into her paws, she mumbled,"I can just hear my mom saying,_ 'Now, Judy, dearie, you know you can't have any kits if you're sleeping with a fox. How are you going to discover the joys of motherhood if you don't have any kits?'"_ Shaking her head still hiding in her paws, Judy added, "And then my mom will put her paws on her hips and give me this look while saying, _'And you know no buck is going to want to marry you after being touched by a fox.'_ Ugh!" she cried while grabbing her ears and tugging on them.

Ryan watched her a minute, then had to chuckle when a thought struck him. As Judy looked up with a questioning eye, he said, "Well, that will solve your buck problem, won't it?" Judy twitched an ear and Ryan added, "Take Nick as your mate and not another buck will bother you, even _if_ your mom tries to hornswoggle them into dating you."

Judy stared a moment longer, then she started laughing. With a much brighter smile, she replied, "Yes, there is that. Just look and you'll find a silver lining in just about everything, right?" Ryan gave her a nod and Judy picked up her mixed berry lemonade and took a drink. Relaxing back into her chair, she tilted her head and asked, "So what about you?"

Looking up from his plate of veggie lasagna, Ryan asked, "What do you mean?"

"I want to take Nick as my mate." With a flick of her ear towards her friend, Judy asked, "What about you?"

Ryan's eyes widened for a moment, then a smug grin spread across his face. Reaching into his pocket, he said, "I'm way ahead of you there." At Judy's raised brow, he pulled out a navy-blue, velvet ring box with a rounded top and handed it to her.

Judy felt surprised as she took the velvety box, but it was nothing to the surprise she felt at seeing the stunning engagement ring nestled inside. It had a nice diamond in the middle, not too big but not tiny either, snuggled between two bright, sky-blue sapphires. Reaching in, she paused and looked at Ryan. At his nod, she carefully pulled the ring out to get a better look at it.

While watching Judy ogle the ring he bought for Daisy, Ryan explained, "I bought that six months ago, when it was first put on display." With a wave of his paw, he explained, "I figured if I waited to buy it until I needed it, then the ring would already be gone." Shrugging, he added, "I've been carrying it around ever since, trying to find a good time to ask Daisy out on a date, but she either runs out on me before I can ask or someone walks in and interrupts us."

Raking his fingers through his headfur, Ryan added, "You have no idea how frustrating it has been for me, having the girl of my dreams right there in front of me, and not knowing if she even wants to date a jackrabbit or if she finds the idea disgusting."

Judy nodded in sympathy. Still studying the ring, she turned it over to find an inscription on the inside band. It read: _To Daisy, my one true love. Ryan_. "Awww," she murmured while placing a paw over her heart. "Daisy is so lucky to have you."

Ryan nodded and said, "Honestly, as long as we've known each other and have been dancing around this unofficial relationship, I just want to skip the whole dating thing and just marry her. It doesn't help that some of my brothers have teased me about dating her since she's the only girl I actively hang out with. The worst part—they tease me about her being my 'little girlfriend'—and I want it to be true _soo_ badly, and yet they're just giving me a hard time. They think a pred-prey couple is just too weird and so they don't believe we'll ever actually date."

With her ears drooping, Judy murmured, "That's just awful, Ryan."

Nodding, Ryan added, "I even broke my brother Lucas's nose when he was badmouthing Daisy for being a dirty predator. It shut him up, but also clued him into the fact I really do like Daisy." With a shake of his head and irritated flick of his tail, he added, "Lucas doesn't tease me anymore. In fact, he doesn't talk to me all. And whenever he sees me, he always gives me this disgusted look."

Judy gave a slight nod as her gaze dropped to the table. Staring unseeingly at the last few bites of her veggie burger and fries, she muttered, "Well, I guess I know what I can expect when my family finds out about Nick."

Reaching over, Ryan put his paw on Judy's arm and said, "At least now we know we're not alone in our love for a predator." With a warm, encouraging smile, Ryan added, "You have no idea how good it feels to know I'm not in this boat alone anymore."

With her ears perking up and a bright smile spreading across her face, Judy replied, "You're right. We don't have to get through this alone. And once we get our predators on board, then we can sail these stormy seas in good company."

Chuckling, Ryan said, "Yes, we'll be in excellent company." Glancing around, he added, "And I think we'll have more mammals supporting us, or at least treating us indifferently, than there will be specist pricks putting us down or trying to break us up."

With a nod, Judy then pointed to her friend and said, "The specist pricks might be the minority, but you know they'll be the loudest."

Ryan conceded her point, then ran a paw through his head fur. "You're right. Daisy already gets bullied enough by the loudest and worst of the jerks, I can't even imagine what they'll say or do to her if we actually started dating."

Judy nodded as she gripped Ryan's paw in support. "If Daisy does have the courage to date you, know that you're not alone. I'll do whatever it takes to help keep the bigots off your backs. And I'm sure Patty-Mae and Joey will be there, too, considering they're helping me with Nick." At Ryan's nod of thanks, Judy looked back down at the engagement ring in her paw. Rereading the sentence of endearment Ryan had inscribed on the inside, Judy sighed, then pressed her fist over her heart. With another heavy sigh, she murmured, "I really hope Nick says something like this to me one day."

With a grin, Ryan pointed to her, saying, "If he's half the todd you make him out to be, then I'm sure he will sooner or later."

With a warm nod, Judy put the ring back in the box and handed it to Ryan, saying, "Okay, now I really have to meet Daisy." Looking down at his plate with a couple of bites of lasagna left on it, she asked, "You ready to go?"

Slipping the ring box back in his pocket, Ryan stood up, saying, "Yep, let's go."

After he paid their tab (for once Judy didn't mind having a buck pay for her), Judy hooked her arm through Ryan's and said, "Come on, Scapegoat, let's go meet your girlfriend."

Ryan raised his brow at Judy's nickname for him, but let it slide with a laugh. Instead, he pointed out, "She's not my girlfriend."

With a chuckle, Judy replied, "Oh yes, she is—," a wide grin spread across her face, "she just doesn't know it yet."

Ryan laughed again as they arrived at his truck and the two hopped inside. Driving down the street and around the corner, they stopped at Mike's Hardware store situated halfway down the block. Ryan met Judy's bright, eager smile and said, "Well, you ready?"

With a giggle, Judy added, "I was born ready." She couldn't wait to meet Daisy.

-/-/-

Travis stood rooted to the sidewalk as he stared down the street, half afraid he was dreaming. Gideon had sent him out to do some grocery shopping, but every store he'd been to had denied him access, stating that he, Gideon, and the new red fox in town were not welcome today or in the foreseeable future. Travis knew Mandy and her specist siblings had put the store owners up to it. They must think that if Nick couldn't eat, then he wouldn't stick around town. Too bad they didn't know Shaylee was helping Nick. Seeing how close Nick and Shaylee seemed to be, Travis doubted Shaylee would turn him down if Nick asked her to do some shopping for him.

But that was beside the point. Wiping a paw down his face, Travis looked down the street again, afraid he was seeing things. But no, nothing had changed. What had him rooted to the concrete was the scene unfolding across the street and a few shops down, at the outdoor café that sat catty-corner from Gideon's bakery.

Judy was eating lunch with a buck, a jackrabbit named Ryan Leaps whom Judy had gone to high school with. Travis was a year older than Judy and so was in the grade ahead of her. Gideon was two years older, but flunked 2nd grade and so had to repeat it, which put him in the same grade as Travis—just ahead of Judy and Ryan. This meant they knew about the one buck Judy didn't seem to mind having around—even if he was the klutziest bunny in school (which made it hard to forget him, especially after watching him _attempt_ to play any kind of sport).

Seeing Judy having, what appeared to be a date, with a buck wasn't out of the ordinary—_Bonnie was always setting Judy up on blind dates_—but what caught Travis's attention was the fact Judy actually appeared to be _enjoying_ this date. Not only was Judy smiling at Ryan, but she was laughing with him, too. This was not normal for Judy as she rarely smiled on any of the blind dates Travis remembered seeing her on before.

This normally wouldn't bother Travis, but Gideon had told him this morning that Shaylee gave Nick a video last night where Judy had apparently confessed to liking Nick, and from the way Nick was talking afterwards, he apparently was warming up to the idea. Travis thought a bunny and a fox dating seemed extremely weird, and he wasn't sure exactly how it would work, with Nick being a pred and Judy prey, but Travis wasn't one to judge. He'd done enough stuff in the past he wished people would forget and stop judging him by, so he wasn't going to pass judgement on these two just because they may have found love in an odd place.

But that being said, _why_ was Judy on a date with a buck if she was wanting to chase after Nick? This left Travis feeling very confused. But before he could walk over and tell Judy about Nick, a voice at his side distracted him.

"Excuse me, can we get by?" a female coyote asked. She was holding paws with several pups and Travis was blocking the door to the toy store they wished to enter.

Stepping to the side, Travis stood in front of the storefront window to allow the family to enter. This toy store, _Uncle Vinny's Timeless Toys_, had a working train set in the window, attracting customers as the little black engine pulled several passenger cars and the little red caboose through the little village and the forested hills the train track ran through. As several of the pups were pointing and whispering about the train set, Travis wondered if they hoped to get a set for their birthday or something.

After the family disappeared inside the store, Travis looked back over at the café where Judy and Ryan were eating and his jaw dropped. Ryan had handed Judy a ring box, and by the way the sunlight was sparking off the ring inside, Travis could only guess it was a diamond ring. Was Ryan proposing to Judy?!

Travis was so shocked at the outrageous idea (this was Judy Hopps they were talking about and she didn't give bucks the time a day!) that he didn't notice the next group of mammals coming his way until they were blocking his view. But unlike the nice coyote mom, this group wasn't nice. _Not at all_.

"Hey, runt, what ya looking at?" a ram sneered in a gruff voice, even as he pushed Travis, making him bump up against the glass window behind him.

"What do you want, Butch?" Travis sneered back at his childhood bully.

A dark, flat-toothed grin crossed Butch's mouth, even as he pushed Travis again, to the amusement of his cohorts who stood snickering as they surrounded the ferret, blocking his escape.

"Butch, when are you going to grow up!?" Travis snarled at him as he hunched in on himself. The fact Butch and his gang were harassing mammals in broad daylight showed just how bored they were today. They didn't have any little kits or old ladies to bother, so they must have decided Travis would make a good target.

"What are you talking about, runt?" Butch asked with a flick of his scarred ear. "I am growed up. I ain't gonna get any bigger."

Travis rolled his eyes, but he was saved from having to point out the obvious when a voice behind the group had Butch and his gang straightening up and spinning around with a touch of fear.

"Is there a problem here, boys?" Sheriff Bob asked as he walked up behind the group. As Butch was a black faced sheep, he wasn't nearly as tall as the sheriff. This meant Bob towered over the muscular ram, especially when figuring in his eight-point rack. Looking down on one of the town's worst bullies, Bob asked, "Well?"

Butch pasted on a fake smile and said, "No trouble, here Sheriff." Looking over to grab Travis and pull him to his side, Butch added, "Me and my friend here," he squeezed Travis's side, "were just having a little chat." Looking down, he added with a hardly disguised sneer, "Weren't we, Travis?"

Travis shook off the bully's arm and stepped towards the Sheriff. "I ain't your friend, Butch. Never have been, never will be."

Butch scowled at him, but Bob spoke up first. "Butch, I hope you haven't forgotten what the judge said the last time I had to take you in." Flicking one of his large tan ears, he added, "I take you in one more time for disturbing the peace or harassment, and the judge won't post bail. You'll just have to rot in jail for a while."

Butch scowled at the Sheriff this time, but he didn't argue. Turning back to his miscreant friends, he jerked his head forward and said, "Come on, it stinks around here."

As the tall deer buck watched the group move on, he turned back to Travis and asked, "Are you alright, Travis?" Bob had been sworn into the Sheriff's department here in Bunnyburrow about two years ago, but had been a deputy for years as he slowly worked his way up to Sheriff. This meant he had been around long enough to know the locals pretty well. He knew Travis had a juvenile record, but the buck had also seen the effort the ferret had put into changing, especially once he started dating the female who has since become his wife. It was something Bob wished Butch and his gang would do, but they were just mean spirited, and the Sheriff doubted they would ever change.

With a shrug, Travis straightened his shirt out and muttered, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Bob nodded to him, then said, "While I got you here, I wanted to ask about that new fox who's staying with Gideon. Is he a good friend of Gideon's? Has he known him long?"

Tilting his head, Travis asked, "Who? _Nick?"_ At the Sheriff's nod, Travis shrugged, saying, "They're friends, but they haven't known each other long." Tilting his head in thought, he added, "If you want to know more about him, you should talk to Judy Hopps. Nick is her friend from Zootopia."

This surprised Bob, but Daryl's visit this morning now made a lot more sense. Daryl was especially specist against foxes, so if he heard one came down from the city to see his sister, he wouldn't like it. Waving towards the bakery, the Sheriff asked, "Is Nick with Gideon now?"

Travis shook his head. "Nah. Gideon dropped Nick off after making his morning deliveries." Motioning across town, he added, "Nick's at the Rodeo Grounds trying to help the Hopps finish setting up for the rodeo."

"He is?" This surprised Bob, as he wasn't expecting a city fox to get down on the level of a bunch of bunnies, especially if he had met more rabbits like Daryl.

Travis nodded. "Nick hasn't been able to get a hold of Judy since he arrived, so he's hoping to meet her when they're done for the day."

Bob nodded, but figured it still seemed like a lot of work just to say 'hi' to a friend. But it did show the fox was dedicated to seeing Judy again. And after what Judy had said about predators, it made him curious about the city fox who still held a high opinion of her. "Well, if the fox is over there, then maybe I might stop by and say hello. Who knows? I might be able to talk to Judy, too." With the tip of his Sheriff's hat, Bob headed back towards the Sheriff's station to get his cruiser. He had been making his rounds just before lunch like he normally did, and he was glad he had. He learned some interesting news today.

After watching the Sheriff leave, Travis glanced over at the café to see the table empty and Judy and Ryan nowhere to be found. With a scowl, Travis thought of Butch's horrid timing and regretted not being able to tell Judy about Nick being in town. As it was, he needed to talk to Gideon. How could Judy be laughing and carrying on with some buck if she was wanting to date Nick? It didn't make any sense.

Scanning the street to make sure no other bullies popped out at him, Travis hurried back to the bakery.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed learning about Ryan's own pred flame! The time for Nick and Judy to meet is steadily drawing closer. There's just a few more things they need to figure out/accomplish before they meet - but the clock is ticking! Next chapter, Judy will be meeting Daisy while Nick has a confrontation with Bonnie over her treatment of Judy, after which we'll learn why Stu was so anti-predator when his kits were growing up.

Ch. 20: Mission Accomplished, will post in 2 weeks. I hope you have a great weekend and a spooky Halloween. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.


	20. Chapter 20: Mission Accomplished

As Judy and Ryan stepped into the hardware store, the scent of fresh wood, hay, and bags of feed struck their noses as dust motes danced through the air as the bright lights of the store reflected off them. The two bunnies both took a deep breath as the scent was a familiar and comforting one. Looking around, Judy took in the rows of supplies: feed for the barnyard animals, tack for bird riding, and lassos on one side of the store, while tools and machinery that were needed around a farm or to fix something was on the other side. The lumber had its own section in the back.

Before she worried about the supplies they needed, though, Judy glanced around looking for the female employee who had stolen Ryan's heart and yet was playing hard to get. No female employee presented herself, but Judy did spot her friend Bobby at the cash register. Hopping over, Judy gave the bobcat a huge smile, saying, "Howdy, Bobby. How's work going?"

"Oh, it's going fine," Bobby called back, even as he glanced at Ryan who had stepped up with Judy. "Hey, Ryan, didn't expect to see you back so soon. Did you forget something when you were by the other day?"

Ryan shook his head, saying, "Nope." Nodding to Judy, he explained, "I'm here on Judy's account."

Bobby's eyes widened as he glanced back at his gray-furred friend. With a quick nod, Judy explained, "Ryan, Patty-Mae, her boyfriend Joey, and I are all heading up to the mountains tomorrow morning to fix up my grandma's cabin. I haven't been there in years and I'm sure the place will need to be condemned soon."

Bobby studied Judy a moment, then glanced back over at Ryan. The gossip around town spoke of Judy's depression ever since she returned from the city with her dreams in ruin, but right now, he couldn't see any of it. Judy seemed to have finally moved past the disaster that brought her running home, and he wondered how Ryan fit into the mix. Especially when he saw who just walked up behind the two bunnies.

"Hello, Ryan," a soft, shy voice spoke up.

Judy and Ryan turned around to see a pretty female skunk with the brightest, bluest eyes Judy had ever seen. The skunk had the long, white stripe of the striped skunk, but was smaller and more slender than one. Along with the traditional white stripe that split down her back, she also had white spots on her cheeks and along her neck which were more often seen on the spotted skunk. _Was this skunk a hybrid?_

Ryan's eyes traveled down the skunk's shapely body, taking note of her blue jeans and the hunter orange shirt that had Mike's Hardware store logo on it, then back up to meet her bright blue eyes. "Good morning, Daisy," Ryan said with warmth in his voice and a bright smile on his face. "You're as beautiful as ever."

Daisy blushed under her fur and glanced off towards the front door, murmuring, "You're just saying that."

Ryan shook his head. "I tell you you're beautiful every time I see you, and yet you never believe me." Folding his arms across his chest while looking her over again, he said, "I've met most of the females living here in Bunnyburrow, and I declare that you are the most beautiful female in the whole town."

Daisy rubbed her arm, even as her gaze dropped to the floor, saying softly, "Ryan, please."

Ryan's brows narrowed, but he dropped it. With a lifetime of being told she was ugly and worthless, she never believed him when he told her how pretty she was.

Judy had been watching the interaction between the two. Ryan was right, Daisy was a beautiful skunk. And going by Daisy's shy demeanor towards Ryan, along with the way her eyes were sparkling when she first arrived (Daisy only had eyes for the tall jackrabbit), Judy had no doubt the pretty female skunk had a _huge_ crush on Ryan (Judy had seen far too many of her sisters crushing on boys not to recognize the signs). Now whether Daisy had the courage to actually date her friend was another question. Smiling at Daisy, Judy spoke up, saying, "No, Ryan is right. You are one of the prettiest females I've come across here in Bunnyburrow."

Daisy immediately looked over to meet Judy's bright purple gaze. She was used to seeing ridicule in the eyes of mammals complimenting her (with the exception of Ryan), but there was none in the bunny across from her. Furthermore, she wondered what relation she had to Ryan. She was a very pretty rabbit doe and Daisy immediately felt inferior to her. Ryan seemed quite comfortable around the doe, too, as they were standing quite close to each other. Was the gray doe interested in Ryan? Daisy felt a pain in her heart at the thought.

Not sure how to respond, Daisy finally gave a slight nod, murmuring, "Thanks." Looking back at Ryan, her gaze then returned to Judy as she suddenly felt unsure of herself. With the doe here, would Ryan even want to talk to her now? If it was anyone else but Ryan, Daisy could expect to be ignored, but Ryan never ignored her whenever he came in with friends or family. But this was the first time he'd come in with another female who wasn't one of his sisters. She could only assume they were close friends by how close and comfortable they stood.

Seeing the uncertainty in Daisy's eyes, Judy extended her paw and introduced herself. "Hi Daisy, I'm Judy, a friend of Ryan's from high school."

With ears perking up at hearing Ryan knew Judy from high school, and feeling that ache in her heart again, as if little thorns were pricking her, Daisy took Judy's paw, more out of reflex than anything else. If Judy knew Ryan in high school, did that mean she was interested in him now? Daisy knew Ryan was a _very_ eligible bachelor and she was always worried that some bunny doe was going to come up and snatch him away from her.

At Judy's introduction, Ryan added, "Judy's the one who inspired me to take all those karate lessons in high school." Rubbing a paw down the back his head and then scratching his neck for a minute, Ryan said, "I was tired of stumbling into and knocking Judy over whenever the PE teacher put us on the same team."

Ryan was looking at Judy sheepishly, so he missed the skunk's hurt look. If Ryan had been willing to go through the pain of karate for Judy's sake (Ryan had told Daisy about struggling in karate during one of their college lunches), then it meant he held her in high regard. So how was she, a predator with a smelly reputation, supposed to compete with a pretty rabbit who had spent so much time with him when they were younger?

Although Ryan missed the pain that flashed through Daisy's bright, blue eyes—_Judy did not_. And it was obvious to Judy that Daisy was immediately comparing herself to Judy and finding herself lacking. Judy imagined it was the same way she would feel if she was hanging out with Nick and a pretty vixen from his past showed up and started talking to him. Judy knew she wouldn't like it—_not at all_.

Taking a deep breath, Judy suddenly thought of an idea that might give Ryan and Daisy a chance to really talk without the pressures of the town or give Daisy a chance to run off. With a bright smile, Judy met Daisy's worried gaze and said, "Ryan told me a lot about you, Daisy." (Daisy's face immediately brightened to hear Ryan had talked about her.) "He says you're really helpful and handy with a hammer. We could really use another set of paws to help out on a trip we're taking tomorrow morning." Ryan had told Judy over lunch that Daisy would frequently help him with mending fences and fixing other things around the ranch when she came over to visit.

"Huh?" Daisy murmured in surprise and confusion, then she immediately looked over at Ryan.

"That's right," Ryan added when he realized what Judy was offering. With a wide grin, he explained, "Judy has a cabin in the mountains that needs some repairs, so Judy asked me, Patty-Mae, and Joey to accompany her to the mountains to help fix it up. Considering your excellent riding skills and how handy you are with a hammer, we could really use your help."

Daisy looked between Ryan and Judy a couple of times, then settled on Judy. "You . . . you really want _me_ . . . to go with you?" she asked while pointing to herself, then at Judy. No one had ever asked her to go on a camping trip with them before. Well, Ryan had on several occasions, but it was always with several of his siblings and Ryan's brothers intimidated her, so she always refused. Daisy didn't think she'd enjoy the trip much with his brothers' constant teasing, no matter how often Ryan smacked them around and told them to quit.

Judy nodded. "Yes. Ryan says you're his best friend and you're really dependable. We could use another dependable person for the trip. And we'll be back on Saturday in time for the barrel racing event." With her nose twitching in excitement, Judy added, "Ryan says you're an excellent barrel racer."

Daisy nodded, then looked at Ryan. Did he really tell Judy she was his best friend? At Ryan's sincere nod, a warmth flooded Daisy's heart as butterflies started fluttering around in her stomach.

Nodding towards Judy, Ryan said, "Judy did barrel racing in high school and was pretty good. Maybe the three of us could practice together sometime."

Judy readily agreed, even as a shy, happy smile spread across Daisy's face. Although she wasn't surprised that Ryan would ask her to hang out with him, the fact Judy seemed to want to spend time with her, too, was a pleasant surprise. Being a skunk, most mammals didn't want anything to do with her, and since she had never spent time with many skunks outside her family (they moved around a lot when she was younger), Daisy didn't have any close girlfriends to hang out with. So seeing Judy's enthusiasm at the idea of hanging out with her, and inviting her along on their camping trip, felt nice—really nice.

And since Ryan was the one introducing Judy and suggesting they hang out, Daisy knew the doe could be trusted, seeing as Ryan would never introduce her to someone who would hurt her. Ever since she first moved to Bunnyburrow, Ryan had always been her knight in shining armor, and every time he stood up for her or protected her from being bullied made her love him all that much more.

But she was positive he would never see her as anything more than a friend. She wasn't just a predator, but a hated, smelly _skunk_. Not that she actually stank. Her parents had undergone the simple operation to remove the scent glands that gave skunks their smelly reputation, and then had it done for each of their kits to try and remove the stigma their atrocious scent caused. Not that most mammals seemed to care if she actually stank or not. For most mammals, the fact she was a skunk was enough for them to keep their distance.

But not Ryan. He was this amazing jackrabbit who never seemed bothered by her species, nor had he ever said anything about her being a skunk in a negative way. In fact, he called her beautiful just about every time he saw her.

But even so, Ryan was still prey, and Daisy was sure Ryan would be disgusted if he ever realized how much she dreamed of kissing him, of feeling his arms around her and holding her tight. As nice as Ryan was to her, and as much as he seemed to enjoy her company, Daisy knew there was a line that mammals weren't willing to cross. And a pred-prey relationship, especially when the predator was a skunk, wasn't something she could ever see Ryan accepting.

It didn't help that her mother was constantly harping on this fact every time Daisy came home from spending time with Ryan, or merely spoke about it at home. At this point, Daisy was loath to even bring up his name at home. Not that that stopped her mom from asking if she'd seen him while she was out and about. Her mother was convinced that if Ryan ever did show any kind of interest in her daughter, it would be a one night stand at worst or a weekend mistress at best, someone Ryan would use when it was convenient for him but not someone he'd ever bring home and introduce to the family.

Daisy knew Ryan wasn't like that, that he'd never use her so callously, but listening to her mother's constant negativity whenever she spent time with Ryan (Daisy had long since regretted ever confiding in her mom about her feeling for the tall jackrabbit), it made it hard for her to ever seeing him wanting her as any thing more than a friend. As species go, they were just too different . . . But that didn't stop Daisy from wishing and dreaming about being more to Ryan. That he would see her as someone worth dating, someone he wanted to get closer to, someone to . . . to kiss and hold tight.

Trying to push down thoughts of kissing Ryan before she lost her composure and had to run to the girl's bathroom to regain control of her emotions and desires, Daisy refocused on Judy and finally gave her answer about barrel riding together. With a nod, she said, "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

"Great!" Judy said with a clap of her paws. "I just bought two of Patty-Mae's King emus, so it'll be interesting to see how they do on the barrels." Daisy gave another shy nod, then Judy asked, "So, will you come with us to the mountains tomorrow? I promise, it won't be all work and no play. The sunrises and sunsets are stunning, there's a natural hot spring near the cabin, and there are so many stars at night that it's easy to get lost in them."

Daisy's long, fluffy tail swayed behind her as she considered Judy's offer. She really wanted to go, but was it really okay? Pointing to herself, she asked, "Is . . . is it really okay for me to go? Even though I'm a . . . a predator?"

Bobby, who was watching everything from behind the counter, gave a short laugh at Daisy's question. As everyone turned to look at him, he walked around to Judy's side and pulled her in a side hug. He wasn't sure what Judy was up to, but seeing Daisy actually going out on a group trip would do her good—especially if Ryan was there. Daisy has had the biggest crush on Ryan for the longest time, but had convinced herself that Ryan only saw her as a friend. Personally, Bobby thought the jackrabbit paid _way_ too much attention to Daisy for him to only see her as a friend.

With his arm still around Judy, Bobby met Daisy's curious gaze and said, "Trust me, Judy has no problems with predators joining the fun." Poking Judy lightly with one of his sharp claws (which had Daisy's eyes widening), Bobby explained, "I was one of Judy's best friends growing up, along with my two sisters. She also was close friends with the Tigre's—Tony and his sister Jasmine." Daisy nodded, and Bobby then pointed to Ryan. "So other than Ryan and Sharla—_she's a sheep_—most of Judy's friends were predators."

With a bright grin, Judy added, "Yeah, predators always have a lot of fun, so I'd frequently sneak out in the evening to hang out with Bobby and the others."

"Really!?" Daisy squeaked. She didn't think rabbit kits had enough courage to sneak out to play with predators. She couldn't even remember how many times she'd overheard rabbit parents telling their young kits to watch out for a predator's sharp teeth and claws.

Judy nodded again, saying, "All the time. In fact, my best-est friend in the whole world is a red fox and if he were here in Bunnyburrow, I'd drag him on the trip in a heartbeat."

Daisy put a paw over her mouth in surprise, even as she pointed a black, clawed finger at Judy. "You're best friends with a fox!?"

Judy nodded with a hum. "I met him in Zootopia and he saved my life." With a shrug, she added, "I couldn't ask for a better friend than Nick."

Daisy nodded but wasn't sure what to say. Seeing her pensive thoughts, Ryan reached over and grabbed her paw, asking, "So, will you come to the mountains with us?" As her wide, blue eyes met his, he added softly, but with an eager edge to his voice, "Pretty please, Daisy, with a cherry on top?"

Daisy met his eager gaze and had to take a deep breath as she felt herself starting to drown in his light-brown eyes. "Uh, yeah," she murmured before her brain caught up to what she was saying.

"Great!" Ryan said, then pulled her into a tight hug that had her freezing briefly at the unexpected contact, but then she melted into his arms. As Ryan felt Daisy relax and then return the hug, a huge grin spread across his face. He hugged her a little tighter while thinking he would have to thank Judy later for this moment.

With another clap, and with her tail vibrating in her excitement, Judy said, "I'm so excited! This trip is going to be even better now that you're joining us, Daisy." With her nose twitching, she added, "We're driving up to the mountains at first light and parking by the ranger's station, then riding emus up from there."

Daisy nodded as she and Ryan broke apart. With a shy smile, she looked up at him and then over at Judy. Then she noticed Bobby again, and a paw flew to her mouth. "But I'm supposed to be working tomorrow. I can't just leave."

Bobby hurriedly waved his paw at her. "Daisy," he started, "when was the last time you took a vacation? Or even a sick day?" At Daisy's silence, he added, "Exactly! You don't take sick days or vacations—and you need one. So, you go on this trip with Judy and Ryan and I'll make sure your shift is covered."

"Really!?" Daisy said. She had always liked Bobby. He never seemed bothered by the fact she was a skunk, but still, she wasn't used to mammals stepping up and going out of their way to help her. "Bobby, thank you so much!" Daisy said as she reached out and briefly took his paw.

Bobby squeezed her paw before dropping it while saying, "No need for thanks. You're a hard worker, Daisy, and you deserve to have some fun once in a while."

Daisy was beaming shyly as she looked at Judy and then settled her bright, blue gaze on Ryan. This was a dream come true, being able to spend a few days in the mountains with Ryan (minus his annoying brothers). She had made a few trips into the mountain since moving to Bunnyburrow, but they were short day trips with her family, nothing like this. Not with friends. Not with Ryan.

"Okay, now that that's settled," Judy said, "we came here to get supplies." Taking out her list, she ripped the bottom half off and handed it over to Ryan and Daisy, saying, "Why don't you two collect these supplies and Bobby can help me find the rest."

Daisy took the list and glanced at it, then up at Ryan. She usually helped Ryan when he came into the store, but she wasn't expecting his doe friend to suggest they work together. Wouldn't Judy want to keep Ryan to herself? Or did Judy not see her as a romantic rival because she was a predator and skunk?

Seeing Daisy's shy smile again, even as she glanced in confusion at Judy, Ryan slipped his arm through his soon-to-be (hopefully) girlfriend's arm and turned her around, asking, "So what's the first thing on our list?"

Judy watched Ryan lead Daisy down one of the aisles, then turned back to Bobby who was watching her curiously.

"What was that all about?" Bobby asked while nodding towards Ryan and Daisy.

Judy gave a slight shrug as she glanced around the store. Seeing as they were alone at the moment, she replied, "Ryan is helping me get my mom off my back about dating and in exchange, he wanted my help in figuring out how Daisy felt about him." Tilting her head slightly while looking at the aisle full of halters and lead ropes that Daisy and Ryan had disappeared down, Judy added, "It's obvious Daisy is crushing on Ryan badly."

Bobby's jaw dropped as he stared at his rabbit friend. After hearing her speech from four months ago, he would never have imagined he would be hearing Judy talk about a possible pred-prey couple like it was the most natural thing in the world. Snapping his jaw shut, Bobby then asked, "And you're fine with that!?"

Judy glanced over in surprise at his question, then answered, "Of course, why wouldn't I be? I think they'd make a cute couple." Glancing back at the row of halters, she started chewing on her thumbnail while wondering if Nick would ever look at her like Ryan had been looking at Daisy. After standing and thinking for a moment, it suddenly dawned on her that Bobby had never responded to her last comment.

Standing up straighter, she glanced at her feline friend and asked, "Do _you_ have a problem with it?"

Bobby immediately shook his paws out in front of him, saying, "Of course not! I think it would do Daisy a world of good if she were to date Ryan." At Judy's beaming smile, Bobby dropped his paws and said, "I'm just kinda surprised _you_ would be okay with it."

Judy's eyes scrunched in confusion, then thought about the stupid press conference. With her ears drooping, she considered that speech the worst mistake of her life. Okay, not the first, but definitely the _second_ worst mistake of her life. Reacting so badly to Nick right afterwards and driving him away trumped the horrible speech by miles and was not only the worst _mistake_ of her life, but the worst _moment_ of her life. The worst moment which had snowballed into the worst moment_s_ of her life as the distance between them widened as she fruitlessly searched for Nick before running home with her tail between her legs.

Taking a deep breath, Judy pushed the negativity down while clinging to the hope she now had that Nick would actually forgive her and might even come looking for her. With a small, hopeful smile, she shrugged and then replied, "Love comes in all shapes and sizes, and I don't see what a mammal's species has to do with it. If two mammals love each other and treat each other right, then that's all that should matter."

"Well, yeah," Bobby agreed, "that's how it _should_ be, but there's a lot of mammals who don't see it that way."

Judy nodded, but didn't say anything as she began wondering again about how her family will take it once they learn about her new fox fetish. Will they treat Nick right? Or will they try to run him out of town? With a frown crossing her face, Judy felt a knot form in her stomach at the thought that one (or several) of her most specist family members might try and hurt Nick for loving her (on the off chance that he _did_ feel the same way). With a scowl, she thought, _If anyone hurts Nick they're going to wake up in the hospital and then a jail cell on assault charges_. There was no way she was going to sit back and watch while someone—_anyone_—hurt Nick.

Bobby scratched the back of his head while watching the various emotions flit across his friend's face. The scowl that finally settled there had him worried. "Uh, Judy, that's a scary face you're making there."

Judy immediately perked up and glanced over to look at friend. "Oh, sorry, I was just thinking of some of my most specist family members who won't take kindly to a pred-prey relationship." Nibbling on her thumbnail again, she muttered, "I was thinking I might have to put them in the hospital if they do anything mean or nasty."

Bobby's eyes widened, even as his jaw dropped. Pointing to Judy, he hissed in a low whisper, "You'd put your own family members in the hospital if they hurt Daisy or Ryan for dating!?"

Judy perked up. She had been thinking of Nick, but if they tried to hurt her other friends, well, she wouldn't act any differently. "Of course, I won't sit back and watch them hurt my friends just because they couldn't accept a pred-prey couple." Glancing back down the aisle Ryan and Daisy disappeared down, she added, "Daisy seems to be a really sweet girl and Ryan is absolutely smitten with her, so yeah, if anyone wants to threaten or hurt them for loving each other then I won't hesitate to put my fist in their face if it comes to that."

Bobby's jaw went slack for a moment, then he snapped it shut and scratched the back of his head. Judy had gotten into plenty of fights when they were younger, either someone was pushing her around or bullying someone else. But that was years ago, and now Judy was talking about fighting with her own family members—_her own siblings_—if they hurt Daisy and Ryan for being in a pred-prey couple. Which they weren't even in yet.

Tilting his head curiously, Bobby asked, "So Ryan really does have feelings for Daisy?"

Judy grinned while nodding. "Ryan has been wanting to ask her out for ages, but she keeps acting hot and cold and it has him all confused on how she feels about him." Stepping forward and slipping her arm through Bobby's, she smiled up at her taller bobcat friend while asking, "Maybe you can help me understand why Daisy acts all excited to see him one minute, and runs from him the next?"

While Judy led him down one of the aisles, Bobby met her expectant gaze for a moment as he thought. Judy had admitted that Ryan asked her to find out how Daisy felt about him, and if telling Judy would give Daisy the chance to actually date the tall jackrabbit she had been crushing on for years, well, who was he to keep his mouth shut? He knew Judy could be trusted not to spread rumors around.

Taking a deep breath, Bobby explained how much Daisy fantasized about kissing Ryan, and when she felt her self-control slipping, or she thought about how disgusted Ryan would be if he realized what she was thinking about, Daisy would run off for the breakroom or the bathroom to calm down. Bobby knew all this because he'd caught her several times in the breakroom reprimanding herself for fantasizing about something that Ryan would be so disgusted by.

Bobby had tried to reassure Daisy that Ryan cared about her too much to not have special feelings for her, but Daisy was convinced Ryan could never see her in a romantic light, that they could never be more than friends. She had even sworn him to secrecy. Since Bobby wasn't 100 percent sure Ryan wanted to date a skunk, and with the stigma a pred-prey couple would garner, Bobby had agreed and kept his mouth shut. But now that he was talking to Judy and realized how badly Ryan did, indeed, want to date Daisy, Bobby was thinking he should have spoken to Ryan a long time ago.

Judy agreed and felt glad she had chosen to ask Bobby about Daisy. With her being a stranger, Judy doubted Daisy would have opened up about her feelings for Ryan, so it was good she went to another reliable source. And now she could tell Ryan that the next time Daisy tried running from him, he just had to kiss her and the whole mess would be cleared up.

Bobby chuckled, but wholeheartedly agreed. Ryan needed to kiss Daisy and put her out of her misery—in the most passionate of ways.

While thinking of Ryan and Daisy kissing, Judy found herself feeling a little envious as she still didn't know how Nick felt about her, or how long it would take for her to even see him again. Would he ever want to kiss her . . . _a rabbit?_ Nick didn't have a high opinion of rabbits when they first met, so could he ever see her in a romantic light?

Pushing the negative thoughts down with a shake of her head, Judy tried to keep her hopes up that Nick would want her back. Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at the shopping list still in her paws. With her mission accomplished in helping Ryan, Judy and Bobby got to work picking out the items off their half of the list, with Judy promising to explain to him how Ryan was helping her with her mom troubles later that evening when Judy came for dinner. (Bobby was dying to find out what Bonnie had been up to that Judy would need Ryan's help with.)

-/-/-

As noon rolled around, Stu came back to check on the fox and crew to let them know lunch had arrived. Standing with his thumbs in his overall straps, he studied the fox's handywork. In the two hours since he had arrived, the fox had done more than the rabbits had all morning. In fact, the way the fox was going, they might even have the bleachers finished by the end of the day. That would be a huge weight off Stu's shoulders seeing as the rodeo was starting Friday afternoon.

After calling the kits and Nick over (the rabbits were all adults, but Stu watched them grow up, so they would always be kits to him), Stu announced that lunch was here and that it was time for a break. There were several cheers to this announcement and the rabbits began filing in to grab some lunch—various veggie sandwiches, along with several large bowls of potato salad and fruit salad. There were also several ice chests full of different drinks—sodas, water, fruit juice, and lemonade.

As Nick walked up to Stu, with Shaylee and her group still surrounding him, Stu led Nick over to meet Bonnie. To say Bonnie was surprised to hear Nick was a friend of Judy's would be an understatement, but she took it in stride once she got over the shock. Judy had so many predator friends already that it wasn't too difficult to imagine Judy making a predator friend in Zootopia. And the fact Nick was here to apologize to Judy for how he acted after her press conference put him in a better light in Bonnie's mind.

Seeing how much work Nick had accomplished in putting up the bleachers impressed Bonnie, as did the glowing praise some of the kits were showering on the tall fox. After they grabbed lunch, with Nick loading up on potato and fruit salad, Stu then directed the talented fox to sit by him and Bonnie so they could discuss plans for the 'Ugly Bug Ball' for tonight. Shaylee, Brandi, Melanie, Ben, Aaron, and Marty of course sat with them.

Bonnie was interested in the 'Ball' they wanted to put on for the kerfluffle tonight, and after discussing some of the songs the kits liked, Bonnie suggested Nick get in touch with the older kits who were musically inclined. They could practice the songs together before playing for the kits this evening. Nick readily agreed and Marty, Ben, and Aaron began telling him all about the various 'bands' within the burrow and who were the best players to get in touch with.

As her role in the conversation came to an end—Nick was discussing music with her kits so Bonnie had nothing left to contribute—Bonnie turned to Stu and said excitedly, "Stu, dear, you'll never guess what Judy is up to today."

Several pairs of ears turned towards Bonnie, even as Stu raised an eyebrow as he met his wife's excited gaze. "What is Judy up to today?" Seeing as neither Nick nor Shaylee had been able to get a hold of Judy, Stu was very curious to know what his missing daughter had been up to. Especially since Nick had driven so far to see her and was working so hard to prove himself to the family. Stu had lived long enough to know a simple 'friend' wouldn't have bothered. Although he couldn't say for sure what their relationship was (they might not even know), it was obvious to Stu that it couldn't be as simple as '_just_ friends'.

"Well," Bonnie started while she clasped her paws together in excitement, "I was talking to Judy this morning, and she mentioned running into an old high school friend of hers yesterday when she went to buy her birds."

"Oh?" Stu said while lifting up his baseball cap to scratch his head. "Is it anyone I know?"

"Well, I'm not sure. He's a hare, not a rabbit. A jackrabbit to be exact. His name is Ryan and he's one of the Leaps' boys. His sister Patty-Mae is the one who sold Judy her emus."

Stu was watching Judy's fox friend and caught how his ears started to fold back before he caught himself and righted his ears. The fox was good. Stu wouldn't have even noticed the slight movement if he hadn't been watching, which reaffirmed his idea that Nick and Judy might be something more than friends . . . or at least the beginning of something more. His little trier took after her great-grandmother Cecilia too much for Stu not to consider the possibility.

Glancing back at Bonnie, Stu scratched his head again as he said, "I know the Leaps. They have a bird ranch, the Lazy 'L' Ranch. They also make some pretty impressive wooden furniture, but I don't think I know any of the kits." Dropping his paw onto the long picnic table they were eating at, he asked, "You said Judy went to high school with him?"

"Oh, yes," Bonnie said with stars sparkling in her eyes. "Judy found out yesterday that Ryan had a crush on her back then! Judy even admitted that she would've dated him if he'd had the courage to ask her." With a soft squee, she grabbed Stu's arm and said, "And they're meeting today for a lunch date!" With another soft squee, Bonnie squeezed Stu's arm again while adding, "I bet they're on their date right now. Oh, isn't this great, Stu!? Our little trier is finally going to settle down and get married!"

Stu's eyes widened in surprise even as he heard Nick choke on his fruit salad. There was definitely something more going on between the fox and his daughter than Nick had let on. Of course, it might just be the fox feeling something for Judy, but knowing his daughter the way he did, Stu had a hard time believing Judy was on a date with a buck—_at least not willingly_.

Focusing on Bonnie, Stu asked, "Now Bon-bon, are you _sure_ she's on a _date_ with Ryan? I have a hard time believing Judy agreed to a date with a buck. You know you swore you wouldn't set her up on any more blind dates if she got out of the house."

"Oh, Stu, honey," Bonnie said with a small wave of her paw, "I didn't set up her lunch date. Judy planned it herself."

Stu's ears perked forward. "She did?" he asked while feeling a little confused. It had been a long time since Judy last made plans with any friends, let alone a boy. Glancing at the tall red todd sitting across from him, Nick looked to be in shock. His jaw was slack and his eyes were unfocused. His paw had gone limp too, with his spoon dropping back into his paper bowl of potato salad.

With a happy bob of her head, Bonnie interrupted her husband's study of the todd by saying, "Oh, yes. She made plans for lunch with Ryan and afterwards she was going shopping with him. They're taking a trip into the mountains tomorrow morning and needed to pick up some supplies."

Stu scratched his head again and almost knocked his hat off. The way Judy had been since returning to Zootopia made it hard to believe she had made plans with a buck. She had been so depressed and hardly left the burrow on her own prerogative, that her decision to buy a couple of emus and join the Search and Rescue was shocking in itself. But for his little trier to actively choose to make plans with a boy—_a buck_—this just threw Stu for a loop. He felt almost as shocked as Nick appeared to be.

Stu wasn't the only one who thought this was too unbelievable to be true. Pointing her plastic spoon at her mother, Shaylee asked, "Now, Mother, when Judy mentioned this luncheon with Ryan, did _she_ say it was a _date?"_

"Well, no," Bonnie admitted. "Judy said they were just meeting as friends. But how else am I supposed to take it? Judy is having lunch with Ryan, then they're going shopping, and then leaving first thing in the morning for the mountains. Can I read it as anything else than that your sister is finally thinking of dating?"

Shaylee's eyes narrowed as she couldn't refute her mom's logic without announcing Judy's interest in Nick. Dropping her spoon back into her bowl of fruit salad, Shaylee slipped her fingers through each other as she looked over her joined paws to ask, "Is it _just_ Judy and Ryan going to the mountains tomorrow?"

Bonnie's nose twitched as she replied, "Since you asked, _no_. Judy said Ryan's sister Patty-Mae and her boyfriend Joey were going with them." With a cheeky grin, she added, "Like a double date."

Shaylee rolled her eyes, then folded her arms, but didn't know what to say without spilling the beans about Judy's _real_ love interest. Luckily, Marty knew what to say.

Setting his cucumber and tomato sandwich down on his plate, Marty looked at his aunt and asked, "Aunty Bonnie, what were you talking to Judy about when she brought up her lunch date with Ryan?"

Bonnie stiffened at this question and didn't immediately answer. Squirming slightly, she then looked off down the table at her other kits eating their sandwiches and drinking their sodas and fruit juice as they talked back and forth. "Nothing too important," Bonnie finally answered.

The fact Bonnie refused to give a direct answer had everyone frowning at her. "Now Bon-bon," Stu started, "answer Marty's question. What were you talking to Judy about?" With narrowed eyes, he waited for his wife's answer. Her evasiveness told him that their conversation was definitely important and would explain Judy's sudden desire to meet with this Ryan friend.

Bonnie hedged a moment longer, but at her husband's stern gaze, she finally said, "Well, you know how Judy will be joining the Search and Rescue soon . . ." At Stu's nod, Bonnie continued, saying, "So I thought it would be nice if she already knew someone working there, someone she was familiar with who could be her partner and show her the ropes."

Shaylee's jaw dropped (as did Melanie's and Brandi's), and then she pointed to her mom and exclaimed, "You tried to set Judy up on a blind date with a live-in boyfriend!"

"Of course not!" Bonnie instantly denied. At several glares sent her way, she shifted on her seat again, and then said, "I just thought Judy could meet with Jazzy and maybe go to the rodeo with him. If things worked out, he could request to be her partner and trainer. But it would all be up to Judy."

Nick couldn't prevent his ears from pinning back this time as he stared at Bonnie and then at Shaylee, even as he ground his teeth. Relaxing his jaws, he leaned over, putting his muzzle close to Shaylee's gray ear, and growled softly, "What are you talking about? What live-in boyfriend?"

With a huff, Shaylee explained, "Search and Rescue assists the Forest Rangers with patrolling the vast wilderness up in the mountains." Nick nodded and Shaylee continued explaining, "As such, full-time Search and Rescue members are paired up and live in little ranger cabins in their designated region to patrol. They spend 24 hours together for weeks at a time with biweekly visits from the rangers checking up on them to interrupt their time together."

At Bonnie's first mention of Judy dating this Ryan fellow, Nick felt his heart constrict painfully in a way he had never experienced before. It was excruciating, but at the same time, his instincts were urging him to hunt down Ryan and defend his_ bunny_. To let this buck know that Judy was _his_. This overwhelming need to stake his claim on Judy, on his _mate_, left Nick momentarily stunned and it took a couple of minutes for him to catch up with the conversation. If he had any doubts left about how he felt about Judy, this swept them all away. _Judy was his __**mate**_.

So, hearing Bonnie go on about this Jazzy character and Shaylee explaining what her mom was really trying to do with Judy, it set Nick in a rage. Luckily, he had years of practice in hiding his emotions, so he didn't blow up at Judy's mom. But his stiff posture and his slightly splayed ears let everyone know he wasn't happy with how Bonnie had treated her daughter. He couldn't even blame Judy for running into the arms of this Ryan fellow if it meant Judy could escape her mom and the need to meet this Jazzy character.

Of course, thinking of Judy in Ryan's arms set his instincts off again, with them demanding Ryan's blood for touching his mate. Nick quickly squashed the instinctive thoughts down. It was obvious that Judy wasn't really on a date with Ryan but was merely using him as a scapegoat (if he hadn't walked out on Judy it would be _his arms_ and not the buck's that Judy ran to). But the idea of them together still left a sour taste in his mouth. _Is this what jealousy feels like?_ Nick wondered. He had never experienced jealousy before, so he couldn't say for sure. But from what he had read and heard, this painful, violent emotion gripping his heart had to be jealousy. And he hated the way this dark, possessive emotion was swirling around inside his heart and mind.

Nick knew he would have to deal with it later, though, because he was still in the company of Judy's parents and getting all predatory on her mom would not help his chances of starting a relationship with Judy anytime soon. Narrowing his eyes, he leaned over the table and pointed to Bonnie, saying (he made sure to keep his voice even and the growl out of it), "You tried to hook Judy up with a live-in boyfriend!?"

Bonnie took on a defensive tone as she answered, "I merely set it up so they could meet. I never said anything about her needing to date Jazzy." Picking up her bottle of carrot juice and taking a sip, she then commented, "I don't see why it's any concern of yours, though. Judy is just a rabbit friend of yours, someone you haven't even known that long. So why do you care?"

Nick was silent just long enough to take a deep breath and push his anger down to ensure it didn't come out in his voice, then he said, "I care because Judy is more than just my rabbit friend. Judy happens to be a very dear friend of mine. And I have every right to be concerned about it." Tapping the wooden picnic table with his claw, he continued, saying, "I didn't face off against a savage jaguar hellbent on _eating_ us to not have a vested interest in Judy. The only reason either us escaped being _eaten_ by that savage _predator _is because we stuck _together_."

Tapping the table again, Nick said, "I also stood up to her 2-ton boss and his posse of giant tigers and rhinos to keep him from taking her badge and firing her for doing her job and getting a lead on a case they couldn't crack in two weeks! I then helped Judy sneak past a pack of gun-toting wolves in order to find her missing mammals. And then when you" he pointed to Bonnie, "called and alerted Lionheart to our presence, we had to slide down a drainpipe and take a trip down a 100-foot waterfall to keep from being caught and locked up with the rest of the savage mammals." Pointing to himself, a soft growl entered his voice as he added, "So don't tell _me_ Judy is no concern of mine."

Taking several deep breaths while Bonnie (and every other rabbit there) stared wide-eyed at him, Nick then said, "Judy is an _amazing_ cop. The best cop—_one of the best mammals_—I have _ever_ met in my 30 plus years of living in the city, and I tell you, _Judy _is a_ priceless_ gem." Pointing to Bonnie again, he added, "And for you to try and marry Judy off to the _lowest bidder_ like some cheap _rug_ is _wrong_. Judy deserves better than that. _Sooo much better_. She deserves someone who can see her true value and recognize her as her as the brilliantly shining diamond that she is."

Breathing deeply, Nick decided now was the time to make his escape before he completely destroyed the good impression he'd already made with Judy's family. Standing up, he glanced at Shaylee and asked, "Are you done? The bleachers aren't going to build themselves."

Shaylee nodded as she stood up to join him, saying, "Yeah, I lost my appetite. Let's go." She wasn't the only one to get up and follow Nick. Brandi, Melanie, Ben, and Aaron also followed with several other bunnies who agreed with Nick that Judy deserved better.

Marty had gotten up, too, but he didn't immediately follow the others. Turning to Bonnie, he shook his head, saying, "It's not right and it's not fair, Aunty." He then turned and sprinted to catch up with the others.

As Nick and his entourage left, those who remained sitting were too stunned to say anything. No one had ever defended Judy the way the fox had. And the fact it was a fox defending Judy, one of the predators she had slandered four months ago with her disastrous speech, made it even harder to believe. But there was no denying the fox meant every word he said as his voice had been full of raw emotion. Furthermore, he not only defended Judy, but claimed she was the best cop he had ever met.

Ever since Judy had given up her dream and come home, everyone assumed she had failed as a cop, that she couldn't hack it with the 'big boys'. Yes, she found all those missing mammals, but obviously that was a fluke, a stroke of luck that she stumbled upon them. But the fox was telling a different story. Her finding the mammals _wasn't_ a fluke, she _could_ hack it with the larger cops, and she was even _better_ than them. This left everyone with much to think about and made them all re-evaluate their headstrong sister and cousin who dreamed of being more than a carrot-farming rabbit.

"Well, I don't know what got their tails all in a bunch," Bonnie muttered before looking away as she took a sip of her carrot juice. "I was just trying to help Judy find a little happiness." She was convinced that if Judy could just get married and settle down, she would finally realize the joyous adventure it was to have a lot of little ones running about her feet. The love and joy found in looking into the face of your newborn kit and watching them grow and develop, to see the first time they rolled over, the first time they sat up or crawled or walked. The first time they said mama or papa or I love you. And with every new little one, her heart would grow a little bigger and be a little fuller.

Everyone turned to Bonnie, many with their ears drooping at Bonnie's words. In the past, most of the family had merely rolled their eyes at Bonnie and some Judy's sisters who were always trying to set her up on blind dates. But at the fox's words, they realized that Judy really did deserve better, they just never stopped to think about it.

Stu sighed. Glancing at Bonnie, he said, "Bon-bon, you know that fox is right. Judy is never going to be happy simply getting married to whatever buck you lined out for her." Especially since Stu was fairly certain Judy's future husband just walked away—and he was no buck.

"But, Stu," Bonnie said while glancing at him, "once Judy looks down on the face of her first kit, when she's holding her first litter in her arms, she'll see what true happiness is and she won't need to thoughtlessly chase after the next big adventure. She'll be home and she'll be safe so we won't have to worry about her anymore."

Reaching over, Stu put his paw on Bonnie's arm and said, "Bon-bon, Judy isn't like you. Having a hundred kits running about her feet isn't gonna make her happy or to forget her dreams. She'll never be happy settling." Shaking his head, he added, "Nick is right, Judy is a special bunny and she's going to need a special boy to be with. Someone who can stand beside her and help her realize her dreams—no matter what those dreams might be now."

"And that's why I found Jazzy for her!" Bonnie exclaimed. "He's already living her new dream, so he could support her in it. If she could just give Jazzy a chance, I'm sure Judy would come to love him."

Stu shook his head. "Bon-bon, if she hooked up with Jazzy do you honestly think she'd be able to live her dream for very long? She'd have to give it up once their first litter arrived. You know Judy will never be happy if she had to give up on her dream after just starting to live it. Judy needs someone who's not going to expect kits their first year or two of marriage. Not many bucks want to wait that long."

Bonnie was silent for a moment, then said, "Well, I guess it doesn't matter because Judy now has Ryan." With happy squee, she added, "Judy and Ryan are practically childhood sweethearts so there should be no issue with them getting together."

Stu shook his head again. "It won't work between Judy and Ryan for the same reason it wouldn't with Jazzy. Judy would have to quit her dream to be with Ryan." Scratching his chin, Stu then pointed out, "And besides, how do you know Ryan doesn't already have a sweetheart? High school was a long time ago and I can't imagine Ryan still being single." Pointing to Bonnie, he then added, "So if you started spreading rumors about Judy and Ryan dating, it might cause problems in his own relationship. Do you really think Ryan will want anything to do with Judy if she's the cause of a nasty breakup with his own girl?"

Bonnie's ears dropped. She hadn't even once considered that Ryan might already be in a relationship. No matter how much she wanted Judy to find someone and settle down, Bonnie didn't want to cause trouble for Ryan if he was in a relationship. With a heavy sigh, she looked down at her plate of zucchini and eggplant sandwich and side of potato salad. With her ears drooping, she finally said quietly, "I just want Bun-bun to experience the joy that we found in getting married and raising a family."

"I know Bon-bon, and she will, but it has to be Judy's choice and on her own time. It can't be forced and it can't be rushed. You know what they say, haste makes waste." Stu patted Bonnie's shoulder, and after a moment of thought, she nodded her head.

With a squeeze of her shoulder, Stu went back to his plate of potato salad and fruit salad while thinking of the fox who had come here to make amends with his daughter. It was obvious from Nick's words that he thought highly—_and felt deeply_—about Judy. The fox wouldn't have stood up for her like he did if Nick didn't harbor strong feelings for his daughter. And Stu really couldn't complain if he did take Judy as his mate. No one had ever stood up or defended his little bun-bun the way the fox had, nor could any buck protect her like Nick had. So as a father, Stu really couldn't wish for a better mate for his little girl.

His grandfather Stuart had made him promise that if any of Stu's kits ever fell for a predator that he wouldn't let history repeat itself, that what happened to his grandma Cecilia and her boyfriend Tyrell wouldn't happen again. That's why he had discouraged his kits from hanging out with predators when they were little. With the mentality the townsfolk had just a couple of decades ago, Stu feared that even if he accepted one of his kits taking a predator for his or her mate, the town wouldn't allow it and they might punish the two just as they had his grandma Cecelia and her pred mate. The thought had scared him to death, and he'd done everything he could to prevent his kits from falling for a predator, even to the point of teaching them to fear predators.

Of course, Gideon attacking Judy certainly helped his efforts, and for the longest time he truly did fear and mistrust foxes. But Gideon turned his life around and sincerely apologized, and the town itself had come a long way from the bigotry it had displayed in the past. Although there were still several extremely specist families, and several bigoted and loud-mouthed old-timers, the majority of the town was no longer outraged at seeing an inter-species relationship so Stu doubted history would repeat itself if Judy did take Nick as her mate. And seeing how closely Judy took after her great-grandma Cecilia, Stu had little doubt that she would.

Furthermore, from what he'd seen of Nick, Stu could tell that Nick would do anything and everything to keep Judy safe and to make her happy. But then Nick went above and beyond just that, even to the point of going the extra mile to win the family over. In doing so, Stu knew there would be fewer complaints spoken against their relationship and Judy wouldn't be forced to choose between Nick and her family. For these reasons, Stu really couldn't ask for a better male to stand at Judy's side and be her partner in life. There really was no one better for his little trier.

Now if he could just convince Bonnie of this, then Stu would feel a whole lot better. But knowing Nick and Judy could never have their own kits (Stu had never heard of a pred-prey hybrid before, but then again, he'd never heard of a pre-prey couple, either) would make it difficult for Bonnie to accept such a choice for her daughter. With a heavy sigh, Stu finished off his lunch then went to check on the kits and see how much more work needed to be done today.

—**/—/—/— **

**FYI: **There are several different species of **Skunks**, with Daisy being a hybrid of a **Striped Skunk** (mother) and a **Spotted Skunk** (father). Skunks are omnivores, and though they are primarily insectivores, eating grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, and caterpillars, they also eat mice, voles, lizards, snakes, as well as eggs and chicks of ground-nesting birds. On the coast, skunks will also eat crabs and beached fish. They won't turn their noses up to carrion, either. There has also been a recorded case of a skunk chasing grey cottontails down their burrows, so rabbits are not completely off the menu even though skunks aren't really built for speedy pursuits. Skunks also enjoy eating fruits, such as apples, berries, and cherries, along with corn and nightshade. Skunks have a keen sense of smell and acute hearing, but poor eyesight. They also have bare feet (there is no fur growing on the bottom part of their feet).

The **Striped Skunk** is the largest of skunk species (about the size of a large house cat) and typically have a stocky, black body with a white stripe running from its head down to its tail. Most of the time, this white stripe splits at the shoulders, creating two white stripes that continue down to the tip of her tail. There are several variations to this pattern, though. Striped skunks have long, curved claws on their front feet used for digging, while their back claws are shorter and straighter. The striped skunk is also easily tamed and frequently kept as pets, though you need to keep up with their rabies' shots because they are the second greatest carrier of rabies, second only to raccoons. And yes, pet skunks typically have a simple operation done to remove their scent glands before being sold.

The **Spotted Skunk** is a smaller, slender skunk, sometimes referred to as the 'weasel' skunk and is where the first half of its scientific name comes from (_Spilogale_):Spilo is Greek for _spotted_ and gale is Greek for _weasel_. Spotted skunks, like their name implies, have white spots and short, fat stripes that cover their black bodies, though with some of them, it's hard to tell if they are black with white stripes/spots or white with black spots/stripes. Spotted skunks have sharp claws for digging, but prefer living in dens made by other mammals, such as badgers, gophers, wood rats, spotted skunks, and armadillos. They will also choose dens made in hollow stumps or logs. In choosing a den, spotted skunks will pick dens that are completely dark. They are also very social creatures and a single den will often be shared by 6-7 skunks.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next time, we'll glimpse Daryl and Mandy, then Shaylee and Marty will question Nick on how he feels about Bonnie's words about Judy's 'dating' which will lead to an interesting development.

Ch. 21: Family, will post in 2 weeks. I hope you all have a great weekend. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.


	21. Chapter 21: Family

Daryl watched the pelt walk off, and although he was surprised by the fox's words of praise of his dumb sister, Daryl wouldn't take the pelt's words to heart. He knew the lying fox would say anything to get in good with Mom and Dad and win the family over. The fox had already conned his sister, and Daryl wasn't going to sit still for him to con the rest of the family, too. The pelt had to go.

But Daryl needed to catch the fox unaware—_and alone_. Ever since he arrived at the rodeo grounds, Daryl and his brothers had yet to catch the city fox alone. He had always been surrounded by the family—Shaylee, Ben, and their entourage being the main rabbits to stick to him like glue. Which made it very difficult to cause the fox to have an accident.

With the pelt climbing up and down across the bleachers as he set them up made for the perfect opportunity for the pelt to 'trip and fall' or for something heavy to come crashing down on him, but whenever he, Jerry, Billy, or Roger tried to get even remotely close to the fox or something he was working on or with, Ben, Aaron, or Marty would show up and shadow them while Shaylee, Brandi, and Melanie stuck to the fox like he was a long lost cousin or something.

It was extremely irritating, especially since the Sheriff himself showed up to meet the fox! He was even impressed with the orange and white pelt. The Sheriff hadn't stayed long as he only came to meet the new fox in town and to see how the Rodeo setup was coming along.

Seeing how the fox was gaining more and more acceptance to his presence here in Bunnyburrow, Daryl wanted to pull his fur out. Couldn't they see that another red fox in town wasn't good for anyone. Not only was he a predator from Zootopia (which meant he could go savage at any moment), the fox had already hurt his sister once—so why did everyone want to give him the chance to hurt her again?

Since so many mammals now knew who the fox was, that he was friends with Judy (and now friends with Shaylee and her bunch), it was making it much harder to drive the fox from town. Seeing how the situation was turning out had him scowling (Daryl had been sure this morning that it would be too easy to drive the pelt from town), but hearing how the fox was coming to the burrow for dinner tonight, Daryl figured if they couldn't cause an accident here at the rodeo grounds, then they might have a better chance at home.

With a huff of irritation, Daryl went back to his lettuce, tomato, and olive sandwich while trying to think of some good pranks to play on the pelt once they got home. Of course, they still had several hours here to try and cause the fox problems.

-/-/-

Daryl wasn't the only one to be in a pickle over the fox. Mandy was feeling torn about wanting to drive the fox away. It was obvious the fox felt strongly for her sister and was very protective of her, and if they were just friends then Mandy would have no problems with the fox meeting up with Judy. But Judy didn't want to be just friends with the fox. She wanted a relationship with him—a _physical_ relationship. And that just wouldn't do. A rabbit and a fox.

Mandy still couldn't understand why Judy would be physically attracted to the fox, even if he was handsome by fox standards. Shaylee was right, Nick did have a good physique, being tall and lean with a confident air about him. Mandy could certainly understand if a vixen took a liking to the tall fox—but not her sister. Judy was a rabbit, so she shouldn't have any attraction whatsoever to a fox. They looked so different from a rabbit and their habits and history were so different from their own.

Not that Mandy knew much about fox history or anything, just the rumors and stereotypes she grew up hearing about. But they did once eat rabbits—that was history and there was no denying it. So _why_ did Judy _fall_ for him!? Everything about a fox was designed to hunt down and kill rabbits. Even if they didn't eat mammals anymore, Judy wouldn't stand a chance if he turned on her in a fit of rage. And that's _if_ he took a liking to her.

But Nick was a fox, so how or why would he find a bunny attractive? It would just hurt Judy worse if she got close to him but then found out he could never see her as anything more than a friend. This was the only sensible outcome that Mandy could see. With how Judy had vilified every predator in Zootopia, how could Nick ever see her as a love interest? It didn't make any sense. The fact he was here to mend their friendship was shocking enough.

But for him to find Judy attractive? To want to date her? No. It would just break Judy's heart worse to be friend-zoned by the fox. So Mandy stood by her original decision that it would be in Judy's best interest to not see the fox. But how could she keep them apart if he was coming to the burrow tonight? The whole family will be talking about the fox before the sun drops, especially if he's a decent singer.

With drooping ears, Mandy stirred the last of her fruit salad around in her bowl while wondering if there was any point to trying to drive him out of town anymore. Her parents had both met Nick and had welcomed him into their home. There's no way Judy wouldn't find out about him now.

Dropping her spoon into the bowl, Mandy dropped her head into her paws and rubbed her temples. Why did the fox have to show up at the rodeo ground!? He was messing up everything! Why couldn't he just get the hint and leave town!? Just forget about Judy!

-/-/-

As Nick walked back to the bleachers, Shaylee kept an eye on him. It was obvious he was upset about what just happened, but she wasn't sure if he was upset because he actually thought Judy might be thinking of dating Ryan or upset that Bonnie had tried to hook Judy up with a live-in boyfriend. Well, it was obvious from Nick's words to Bonnie that he wasn't happy with her and her dealings with Judy, but surely he knew Judy wasn't actually wanting to date Ryan . . . _right?_

As much as she wanted to ask, Shaylee had to wait for the other bunnies who left the table with them to return to their original tasks. This meant she couldn't ask Nick her questions until they were a short distance from the bleachers and it was just her, Nick, Brandi, Melanie, Aaron, Ben, and Marty. Once she was sure no one would overhear them, she leaned forward and looked sideways to get a better look at Nick's face.

At first glance, he looked relaxed with his paws in his pockets, but at closer inspection she noticed the rigid way in which he held his ears, and his tail hardly moved as he walked—not the easy sway it had before. Nick also wasn't glancing around with curiosity at the various projects they passed but was staring straight ahead while ignoring everything going on around him.

Taking a deep breath, Shaylee asked, "How are you feeling, Nick?"

Seeing as they were now alone, Nick didn't bother keeping his ears upright. As they tilted back, he answered with a low growl, "Angry at your mother." Pulling his paws from his pockets and waving them around, Nick growled out, "How could she do that to Judy!? How can she sleep at night after trying to sell your sister off like cheap livestock!? She's not some crippled dodo bird or a sick emu to be gotten rid of to the first mammal stupid enough to take her! She's your _sister_—her own _daughter!"_

Shaylee nodded, then said, "My mom has always viewed happiness as having a bunch of kits running around her feet. The more kits she had, the fuller and more meaningful her life was. She just can't understand the rest of us who don't feel the same way—especially Judy as she never showed any interest in settling down and having family." With a shrug, Shaylee added, "I think mom wouldn't be so hard on Judy if she at least showed some interest in bucks or the idea of getting married or having kits of her own—but Judy always brushed the ideas off saying she didn't have time for any of it. She was going to be a big city cop and there wasn't any room in her life for a mate or kits." Reaching over as a teasing smile crossed her lips, Shaylee poked Nick in the arm, saying, "At least, she had no interest until she met you."

Nick glanced over with a slight nod, but didn't say anything, so Marty spoke up next, "So how did you feel hearing Judy was hanging out with Ryan?" As he had several fox friends, Marty knew foxes were territorial when it came to their mates. Not that they were controlling of their mates on who they could talk to or spend time with, but they would defend their mates if it looked like someone was trying to make a move on them.

Nick stopped walking. Folding his arms as his tail lashed out irritably behind him, he stated coldly, "I hated it. The thought of Judy in the arms of some buck has my stomach in knots and my blood boiling." With a scowl and a hint of a growl, he added, "She's mine."

Shaylee's ears drooped, even as Marty grinned, but before Marty could say anything, Shaylee pointed out, "You know Judy isn't actually going to date Ryan, don't you?"

Nick gave her this 'dumb bunny' look, then rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know Judy is only using Ryan as a scapegoat—I did get that. But that doesn't help with how I'm feeling." Pointing to Shaylee, he explained, "Ever since I arrived in Bunnyburrow and you showed me how I really felt about Judy, I haven't been able to see her, talk to her, or smell her." Waving his paws through the air, he added, "And now I'm hearing how she's supposedly dating and marrying this buck I've never met! How am I supposed to feel!?"

"Does that mean you've already imprinted on Judy?" Marty piped up from the side with his ears perked forward and his tail twitching in excitement.

Nick flicked his ear as he glanced over at the hopeful buck. It still struck Nick and threw him for a loop to see Judy's family so open and supportive of a relationship between him and Judy—especially since he had yet to even talk to her! Taking a deep breath while thinking of Marty's question, Nick then rubbed his paw down face and muzzle, then dropped it to say, "It appears so. I wouldn't be feeling so possessive or so jealous if I hadn't." Nick really wished his dad was still around to ask about the imprinting process and how it felt when he had imprinted on his mom. But if wishes were fishes then no one would go hungry, right?

Flicking his tail as he realized what Marty had just asked him, Nick tilted his head, raised his brow and asked, "How do you know about imprinting?"

With a wide grin, Marty answered, "I have several fox friends and they've told me a little about their dating habits, including how unique you red foxes are."

Nick gave a small nod as Marty's full acceptance of him now made a bit more sense. But it was still strange that a rabbit was okay with a fox taking a fellow rabbit as his mate—especially when that rabbit was a family member.

Hearing Nick had already imprinted on Judy, a bright smile spread across Shaylee's face and she positively glowed. Poking the fox in the side, she asked brightly, "So does that mean I can start calling you 'brother-in-law'?"

Nick rolled his eyes again. He hadn't seen Judy yet, they certainly weren't married, and yet Shaylee was insisting on calling him brother-in-law as if it was an already forgone event—_not a conclusion_—but that it had _already happened_. Reaching over, he wrapped his arm around Shaylee's shoulders and pulled her to his side as he started walking again. Booping her nose with his sharp, black claw, Nick said, "How do you know Judy even _wants_ to date me?"

Shaylee opened her mouth, but Nick didn't give her a chance to talk. Wagging his finger back and forth in front of her face, he explained, "Yes, I know Judy likes me, I'm not questioning that—but liking me and wanting to date me are two different things in my book."

"How so?" Brandi asked. If Judy really liked Nick as Shaylee claimed she did, then why wouldn't Judy want to date him?

Nick looked over the top of Shaylee's black-tipped, gray ears at her older and slightly taller sister Brandi. With a flick of his ear, he answered, "Because Judy won't just be getting herself involved in a pred-prey inter-species relationship—which in itself will bring a lot of bigotry and slander—but she'll also be dating a _fox_." With a flourish of his free paw (he still had one arm around Shaylee), Nick continued with a hard edge to his voice, "We foxes are the bane of society, thieves of the night, tainted and untrustworthy from the day we were born. We're hated and shunned wherever we go and anyone dating us, especially such a cute little bunny, will be tainted by association."

Bringing his paw around to point at Brandi, he added, "As bad as rabbits get picked on for being cute little fuzzballs who belong in a toy store window," the rabbits around him frowned, but Nick was merely pointing out how the world viewed them, "if you add onto that the hate and violence we foxes receive, sometimes on a daily basis—" Nick shook his head, "not many mammals will want to go through all that venom, hate, and scorn. And if these specist pricks find out we're dating—that our relationship is a romantic one—you can be sure that all that hate and venom is going to go through the roof." Nick pointed towards the sky.

Hearing Nick's words put a damper on the mood as the bunnies around him realized just how bad he had it and what dating him would entail. Shaylee did have an idea already as Nick had spoken about it before. The only one not bothered by Nick's words was Marty, as he'd tasted firstpaw the hate leveled at foxes since he hung out with several.

Stepping closer to Nick, Marty said, "Don't worry, Nick, Judy won't get scared off. If anyone tries to start something, she'll put her fist in their face and either break their noses or knock them out cold."

Nick raised a brow, then pointed out, "You know she can get arrested on assault charges if she throws the first punch, right?" Nick was a bit surprised to hear of this violent side to Judy. Back in Zootopia, she didn't seem much like the violent type. She certainly got angry and liked to posture, but she never took a swing at him or even threatened to—not even when he was being a complete jerk. Of course, that might be because _he_ was never violent towards _her_—annoying, yes, but not violent. If Judy _did_ have this protectively violent side, though, Nick was highly interested in seeing it.

Marty shook his head. "Don't worry. Judy usually warns them first and only gets violent if the others are violent first." Nick nodded and Marty added, "But that's beside the point. The point being that Judy won't care what anyone else says or does." Pointing to the large todd beside him, Marty added, "As long as _you_ are willing and wanting the relationship, then Judy won't let anyone stop her from being with you."

Nick's bushy tail began wagging. Having someone willing to fight for him was a new experience for Nick. He was all too used to mammals dropping him like a newborn giraffe at the first hint of an inconvenience, so learning Judy would be willing to break someone's nose or knock them out cold on his behalf left him feeling warm and fuzzy inside. It was a new feeling for him, but one in which he didn't want to lose.

Seeing the happiness radiating off of Nick with his perked ears and wagging tail, Marty then asked, "Since this is the case, does that mean I can start calling you cousin?"

Nick looked down at Marty. The buck looked to be about 18 or 19 with some of his youthful, boyish looks still hanging on. He was also wide-eyed and bushy-tailed with excitement at the idea of having a fox for a cousin, which they would be if Nick took Judy as his mate. With a bright grin, Nick wrapped his arm around Marty's shoulders and pulled him to his side. "You know what, Marty?" Nick asked with a slight wave of his paw. At Marty's headshake, Nick pointed a clawed finger at him and answered, "You remind me of my younger brother, Landon. He had your same excitement for trying new things and enthusiasm for life."

Marty immediately perked up with his ears pointed forward, and both his nose and tail twitching in happiness. "Really!? I remind you of your brother!?"

Nick nodded as they continued walking over to the poles and boards that still needed to be set up for the bleachers. "Yep, you do, so yeah, you can go ahead and call me cousin if you want."

"So where is he? What's he like now? Does he have any hobbies?" Marty asked excitedly, wanting to know all about Nick's younger brother.

Nick slowed to a stop and his tail slumped, even as his shoulders did. With his ears drooping, he took a deep breath, but didn't say anything. The words got choked up in his throat. He wasn't crying, it had been a long time since he'd cried over his missing family, but the pain was still there. A hole in his heart that had never been filled.

Seeing Nick's sudden change in mood, the rabbits around him froze and held their breaths as they realized something bad must have happened to Nick's brother.

With a small breath, Marty whispered, "Sorry, Nick, I didn't mean . . ."

Nick moved his paw to silence him. It took him a moment, but then he said, "There's no need to apologize." Taking a deep breath, Nick wasn't sure what to say to break the silence. He wasn't used to talking about his past, especially his missing family. He'd opened up to Gideon the other day, but that was a fellow fox who could empathize with him in many ways. But now he was with a bunch of rabbits—a species he **never** expected to open up to and be all chummy with. But these weren't just _any_ rabbits. These were Judy's siblings who had completely taken him in as if he was one of them and passed no judgements on him. They accepted him without reserve and were looking forward to the day he would join their family in deed and not just word.

Feeling their love and acceptance left Nick sucker punched—but in the best of ways. It had been so long since Nick felt any kind of familial love and acceptance (or any kind of love or acceptance, for that matter), that these few bunnies left him emotionally reeling—and he hadn't even met with Judy yet! For the first time in almost two decades, he felt like he might have finally found a place to call home.

Taking a deep breath, Nick tried to keep the moisture in his eyes as he softly explained, "I was separated from my family when we were both teens and I haven't seen Landon since. I have no idea where he is or how he's doing." Taking another deep breath while trying to control the emotions threatening to break free, Nick started walking again, but it was at a much slower pace.

Biting her lip a moment, Melanie then asked softly, "You haven't seen your family since you were a teen?" Melanie couldn't even imagine not seeing her family for so long. How did Nick survive!?

Nick gave a slight nod but didn't say anything. His emotions were too close to the surface and he feared if he said another word, they'd overflow.

Looking up at the handsome todd who'd stolen her sister's heart, Shaylee felt her heart swell with love for the todd who would soon be her brother. His life hadn't been easy, as he hinted at on several occasions, and yet he still had enough heart to save her sister and help Judy prove she was a real cop. And now he had returned to make amends with her. Judy really had found herself one swell guy to fall for and Shaylee couldn't be happier for her headstrong sister.

Lost in thought, Shaylee figured that if she kept her eyes open, maybe she could find her own handsome todd who would be just as loyal and devoted. With a bright smile, Shaylee poked Nick in the ribs and said, "Well, you have family now, brother."

A slow, toothy smile spread across Nick's muzzle as he met Shaylee's accepting gaze. Squeezing her a little closer into his side, he said, "You know, I always wanted a little sister."

With a laugh, Shaylee replied, "Well, you have one now."

"That's right," Melanie said from Shaylee's other side, even as Brandi gave a warm nod. Hearing Nick vehemently defend Judy and give such glowing praise of her had erased any lingering doubts the older doe had about the tall todd.

"Yeah," Aaron said from Marty's other side as he lightly whacked Nick's arm, "and you got two more brothers, too."

"That's right," Ben exclaimed with a wide, buck-toothed grin. "And once we get my Mustang Boss up and running, we'll take a cruise in it."

With a wide buck-toothed grin of his own, Aaron added, "Maybe we can race the Boss against Nick's Triumph. That would be fun. I can picture it now, two stunning classics tearing up the highway!" With his paw shooting out in front of him, he imagined what the two classic cars would look like barreling down the open highway.

Laughing as his tail swayed happily behind him, Nick replied, "Two sisters, two brothers, and a cousin! It's been so long since I've had family that it's hard to believe I have one now."

Shaylee hugged his side and laughed happily, saying, "Well you do, and don't you forget it."

"And soon, you'll have a wife and mate, too!" Marty chimed in at his side. There was no hiding the excitement on his face at that pronouncement as his eyes were bright and his nose was twitching relentlessly.

Nick laughed again. _Family!_ Nick couldn't believe he finally had a family again—and they were a bunch of bunnies! What a strange turn his life had taken! And all because Judy had hopped into his life and turned it upside down all those months ago. "I still can't believe you guys are fine with your sister shacking up with a fox."

The rabbits laughed and then they arrived at the supplies for the bleachers. Falling into a happy companionship as they talked, laughed, and joked while they worked, they all hoped to have the bleachers finished by the end of the day.

-/-/-

As Ryan and Daisy gathered up their supplies, Daisy asked more questions about the upcoming trip and Ryan explained the little he knew so far. After letting her know that he and Judy would be meeting up with Patty-Mae and Joey once they returned to his house to hammer out the details of the trip, Ryan suggested she call him on her next break so she could participate in the discussion via the phone.

Daisy readily agreed. Normally when she went on group activities (during school or college), she just went along for the ride (most activities she attended were required) and she always felt like an unnecessary tag-along. But now she would finally be able to help plan the trip making her feel like she was actually part of the group and not just a nuisance. Knowing Ryan would be there with her the whole time helped quail any lingering uncertainties—at least for the moment.

While picking up an assortment of nails and screws and placing them in the shopping cart he was pushing, Ryan suggested Daisy stay over at his place to avoid them having to drive all the way out to her place first thing in the morning. At Daisy's surprised and questioning look (her bright blue eyes were so expressive that Ryan frequently got lost in them), he then explained, "You know, like a sleepover. You can sleep in Patty-Mae's room and do girly things—paint your claws, talk about boys, watch chick-flicks—you know, all those things girls do at sleepovers."

Daisy stared at Ryan with a slack jaw for several heartbeats, then she started giggling. Covering her mouth with her paw as another giggle escaped her, she then exclaimed, "You're joking right?"

With a wave of his paw, Ryan replied, "Well, that's what most of my sisters do when they have sleepovers."

Daisy giggled again. "Yes, I remember all the times you called me up complaining about how loud they were and begging me to meet you out on the trail for a rhea ride so you could escape the madness."

Ryan chuckled. "Yes, I could always count on you to save my sanity."

Daisy nodded, then asked, "But can you seriously see me sitting around painting my claws while gossiping about boys? Or sitting through endless chick-flicks?"

With a wide grin, Ryan shook his head. "Okay, gossiping about boys is definitely out which won't be a problem since Patty-Mae isn't much for gossiping either. As for chick-flicks, Patty-Mae has a few I think you'd like." At Daisy's skepticism, he added, "Come on, if Patty-Mae approves of them then you know they have to be good."

After Daisy nodded to his logic, Ryan looked down and took Daisy's paw, saying, "Now about painting your claws, even though it's not something you normally do," he slid his fingers under her long claws to get a better look at them, "I bet if Patty-Mae asked around, one of my sisters is sure to have a bottle of sapphire blue." Looking up to meet Daisy's bright blue eyes, he murmured, "Blue the color of your eyes would be pretty."

Daisy's heart sputtered, then skipped a beat as Ryan met her stunned gaze. Feeling herself drowning in his warm, brown gaze, she briefly considered running before she did something disastrous—like reaching up and kissing him. But Ryan saved her from having to act on that thought as he looked back down at her claws he still held in his paw. Taking a deep breath, she blinked several times while trying to get her wayward heart to calm down.

"Not that you need to paint your nails to look pretty," Ryan continued. He had recognized the look in Daisy's eyes and knew he better start moving again before she ran from him. Adjusting his own paw to properly clasp hers, he started walking while pushing the shopping cart one-pawed. Glancing over briefly, he said, "You're beautiful just the way you are, but if you _wanted _to try something new, blue always looks good on you." Looking forward again, he waited for her response.

As Ryan dragged Daisy behind him, she found her mind in a muddle. A happy muddle, for sure, but a muddle all the same. Her mind kept replaying over what he'd just said and did which made it difficult to form a coherent thought. Although Ryan constantly told her she was beautiful, somehow, this time was different. He had said she _always_ looked good in blue, she would be _pretty_ with painted nails, and—most importantly—they were currently _holding paws!_

Daisy had wanted to hold Ryan's paw for so long that at first, she thought she was dreaming. But his paw felt too soft, too warm, and too firm for this to be a dream. With a wide smile spreading across her lips, she hurried to catch up so they were once again walking side-by-side, even as she murmured, "Uh, yeah."

With an answering grin, Ryan glanced over again to ask, "Is that a yes to the sleepover?"

"Yeah," Daisy replied before her brain could think through the ramifications of her answer. After realizing what she had just agreed to (she truly wanted to go but didn't feel confident that anyone but Ryan would welcome her intrusion), she hastily added, "I mean, if . . . if Patty-Mae is okay with me staying with her."

Ryan rolled his eyes as he squeezed her paw. "Patty-Mae is going to love you, so don't worry about it." Daisy nodded but didn't seem very convinced. With a wide, teasing grin, Ryan tugged her closer so her arm brushed up against his own as he added, "But on the slim chance Patty-Mae has a problem with you staying in her room, you can always stay in mine."

"In yours!?" Daisy squeaked in surprise, even as a bright blush spread across her face under her black and white fur.

Nodding as humor twinkled in his light brown eyes, he replied, "Sure. You can have my bed and I'll take the floor."

Pressing closer to his side as she pointed a clawed finger up at him with her free paw (she couldn't believe Ryan was still holding her paw!), Daisy exclaimed, "Ryan, I can't make you sleep on the floor in your own room! What kind of a guest would I be!?"

Shaking his own finger back at Daisy, Ryan asked, "And what kind of host would I be if I made you sleep on the floor when I got to be warm and toasty in a soft comfortable bed?"

With a cute scowl (Ryan couldn't believe how cute she looked whenever she scowled! He just wanted to kiss her!), Daisy insisted, "Ryan, I am not making you sleep on the floor in your own room."

"Are you sure you won't take the bed?" he asked again while thinking of a better way to tease her.

Daisy shook her head while insisting, "Not if you're sleeping on the floor." Folding her arm across her chest, she looked straight ahead. She couldn't fold both arms across her chest like she wanted to because Ryan still had a hold of one of them, and she wasn't about to let go of his paw any sooner than she absolutely had to.

Grinning wider, Ryan glanced down as he raised a finger in the air. "Well then, I guess there's only one way to resolve this dilemma." As Daisy glanced up sharply, Ryan said, "We'll just have to both sleep in the bed . . ." Daisy's jaw dropped. "Or we can both sleep on the floor," he added. "I'll leave it up to you on what we do." He then reached over and flicked her on the nose.

Daisy froze and Ryan stopped beside her. The fact she didn't immediately cry out with an emphatic 'no' to sharing the bed or an insistent 'yes' to sleeping on the floor gave Ryan more courage and hope that there really was something more between them and he wasn't just reading things into their friendship.

Recognizing Daisy's stunned gaze and afraid she might turn and run from him once she came to her senses (or at least try to run from him—he wasn't letting her go today), Ryan squeezed her paw and spoke again. "Well, this is a moot point, anyway, 'cause I know Patty-Mae will be excited to have you over. And since Patty-Mae no longer has to share her room with Penelope, you can sleep in her bed."

Daisy blinked, then took a deep breath, and then another. Squeezing Ryan's paw, a slow, shy smile crossed her lips as she nodded. "I'm fine with anything," she murmured under breath. And she was, even if it came down to sharing a bed with Ryan. She would be completely fine with that. More than fine. And when her mom's voice in the back of her head started yammering about Ryan only being interested in a one-night-stand, Daisy studiously squashed the thought down. Ryan wasn't like that, of that she was sure.

With his nose and tail twitching in happiness, Ryan started walking forward again and was doubly happy when Daisy was still walking close enough to rub arms with him. "Okay," he continued their conversation, "now that tonight's sleeping arrangements are made, the next question is whether you want to call you mom and give her a heads up on the fact you'll be sleeping with a bunch of bunnies for the next several nights or if you just want to spring it on her once you get home this evening."

Daisy's ears pinned back and her nose scrunched in distaste at the thought of having to tell her mom about her plans for the rest of the week. Her mom was heavily biased against rabbits, hares, prairie dogs, and other small prey mammals as they'd been forced to move around a lot when Daisy and her siblings were growing up due to prejudice and severe bullying. Since moving to Bunnyburrow, the prejudice and bullying had eased quite a bit, though it hadn't completely gone away.

Even so, due to all the bullying and mistreatment her family had suffered from, Daisy's mom was extremely prejudiced against most other mammals besides other skunks. Her mom got along okay with minks and ferrets as she related to them the best outside her species, but that was about it. There were a few other mammals whom her mom got along with, but not many. But small prey mammals, especially bunnies, Daisy's mom considered the worst and couldn't understand why her daughter would willingly choose to set herself up for heartbreak by falling for one.

Imagining the earful her mom would give her once she heard her daughter was going to be spending the night at Ryan's, Daisy quickly shook her head, saying, "I really don't feel like having a major argument with my mom while I'm still at work, so I'll wait and spring it on her when I get home."

Ryan nodded as he had expected as much. "Then how about I pick you up from work and we'll head over to your house together. If you mom wants to rant and rave about your choice, then I'll be there to head off her arguments." With a chuckle, he added, "I've gotten quite used to your mom's death glares by now. Most of the time I'm there she at least _pretends_ to be civil." Grinning at Daisy, he added, "So you won't have to listen to her yelling. And once you're packed, we can head over to my place and get you settled in."

Daisy really wanted to agree as she didn't want to face her mom's wrath alone, but the thought of Ryan being subjected to her mom's snide comments about his species and what she assumed his attentions were (she never yelled at Ryan, but couldn't keep her opinions to herself), made Daisy's heart ache. Ryan deserved better than that.

"Thanks, Ryan, for the offer, but you don't have to. I'll be okay facing my mom alone."

Ryan stopped walking, forcing Daisy to stop, too, as he was still holding her paw. With a heavy sigh, he ran his free paw down his face, then pushed the cart forward a bit so he could pull Daisy around to stand in front of him. Reaching forward, he cupped her cheek as he explained, "I know I don't _have_ to. I'm offering because I _want_ to." Caressing her cheek softly, he continued, "I _want_ to spend time with you, Daisy. I'm _happy_ when we're together. And it gives me the greatest pleasure knowing I'm able to be of help to you, even if that means subjecting myself to your mom's death glares and snide comments. I would rather she glare at me than yell at you for being with me."

Daisy couldn't say anything as she suddenly found herself light-headed (she was hardly breathing as Ryan caressed her face). Ryan's soft words and tender actions were squeezing her heart with so much love and joy that she felt about ready to pop from it all. Furthermore, Ryan didn't say her mom would yell at her because they were 'friends' but because she was 'with him.' The way he worded his comment made Daisy feel like he was talking about them dating, not about two friends who merely liked to hang out.

Seeing as Daisy was struggling to find any words to answer with, Ryan ran his thumb across her cheekbone and leaned a little closer to her while saying, "So no brushing off my offers of help and no apologizing for the bad behavior of other mammals. _You_ have nothing to apologize for." He squeezed her paw, then added, "I'll be here at 5 o'clock on the dot to pick you up. Got it?"

Daisy merely nodded. Ryan kept squeezing her heart with love and if he didn't stop staring at her with such an affectionate gaze while caressing her cheek, she was going to throw caution to the wind, wrap her arms around his neck, and pull down for a deep, passionate kiss. She wanted to drown in his kisses as surely as she was drowning in his warm, brown gaze.

"Good." Standing a little straighter, Ryan looked over Daisy's head as he considered what to do after picking her up. "It'll be dinner time by then, and I know your mom won't welcome me over for dinner, nor do I want to subject us both to my annoying siblings by eating at my house." Glancing back down to meet Daisy's stunning sapphires, he grinned widely. "How about we eat out tonight? I'm thinking of the Blue Moon Diner. How does that sound?"

Daisy's jaw dropped, then she exclaimed, "We can't go there! That's where couples go on dates!"

Ryan raised an eyebrow, even as he asked, "Where does it say only mammals on dates can have dinner at the Blue Moon?"

Daisy's mouth worked, but no words came out. With a flick of her long, fluffy tail, she finally said, "Well, there's no _written_ rule, I guess."

"So what's wrong with two really good friends going there for a nice, sit-down dinner?"

Shaking her head slowly while her long, fluffy, black and white tail swayed behind her, Daisy finally murmured, "Nothing, I guess." She desperately wanted to ask if Ryan was taking her there for an actual date, but at the same time, she was afraid. He had just said they were two really good friends having a nice dinner. Would it be wrong for her to read more into it?

Grinning wildly at his victory, Ryan said, "If there's nothing wrong, then I'll see you at 5 o'clock sharp, we'll go have a nice dinner at the Blue Moon Diner, then we'll go brave your mom's disapproval at you spending the next several days with a bunch of bunnies, and then we'll go to my house and subject ourselves to the teasing of my obnoxious brothers. Sound like a plan?"

Daisy met Ryan's happy, excited grin and had to laugh. He always knew how to brighten her day. "Sounds really fun. I can't wait."

"Good. Now that that's taken care of, we just need to pick up harvest gold cement, fine masonry sand, and oakum for the chinking on the cabin and I think our shopping is done."

Nodding as she stepped back around to walk beside him, Daisy looked up at Ryan with a soft, contented smile. She was thoroughly looking forward to her . . . _not-date_ . . . with Ryan, along with the sleepover at his house tonight. And having him there with her when she informed her mother of her plans warmed Daisy's heart even further. Ryan truly was her knight in shining armor.

After gathering the last few items on their list (they didn't need much as they would only need to touch up on the chinking rather than re-chink the whole cabin), Ryan and Daisy met back up with Judy and Bobby. After checking out, Ryan reminded Daisy to call on her next break so they could plan the trip, and that he would be back to pick her up at 5.

She agreed warmly and told him she was looking forward to dinner afterwards. Ryan then reminded her to call her brother and let him know he wouldn't need to pick her up after work. "Yes, Father, I'll call him," Daisy responded with a laugh, though she was grateful for the reminder because she had forgotten all about her brother picking her up this evening after he got off work. After being asked out on a date by Ryan, how could she think about anyone or anything else?

After Ryan put the supplies in the back of his truck and he and Judy climbed in, they headed back to the ranch. Judy waited until they passed the last building leaving town before informing Ryan of the information she acquired from Bobby, which had Ryan slapping a paw over his face and groaning in frustration.

Dropping his paw to glance at Judy, Ryan exclaimed, "You mean to tell me that all those times she ran from me was because she wanted to kiss me and feared I'd be disgusted if she did!?"

"Yep." With a bright smile as Ryan turned his attention back to the road, Judy added, "So the next time Daisy runs from you, just chase after her and kiss her senseless and then she'll never think of running from you again."

Looking out the windshield as they passed a field of alfalfa with the tiny purple flowers swaying in the breeze, Ryan chuckled then shook his head. "Yeah, I'll do that." Shaking his head again, he immediately thought of their date tonight—and he was definitely seeing his dinner with Daisy tonight as a date—and started planning how best to bring up the question of Daisy being his girlfriend. And seeing as they were going to the nicest restaurant in town, Ryan figured he better ask Patty-Mae if Daisy could borrow one of her dresses tonight. With the exception of Daisy's shorter legs, she and Patty-Mae were about the same size (Daisy had a long torso, but shorter legs than a hare), so the dress should fit Daisy as long as it wasn't a floor-length one.

While watching a yellow mini-van pass him heading towards town, Ryan tried to picture Daisy in one of Patty-Mae's cuter dresses. Patty-Mae, like Daisy, didn't dress up very often as they both preferred wearing jeans, but she had recently bought several really cute dresses to wear on her dates with Joey and was wondering which one Daisy would look cutest in. He knew his sister had bought a dandelion yellow one and a dress the color of new pine needles in spring, but he hadn't yet seen the other dresses Patty-Mae had bought. He was looking forward to seeing which dress Patty-Mae picked for Daisy.

Turning back to Judy, he filled her in on the plans he and Daisy had made about her calling in to help plan the trip, and then how she was sleeping over at his place tonight to make it easier to leave in the morning. He then suggested Judy stay over, as well, and the three girls could have a real slumber party (he wanted Daisy's first slumber party to be truly memorable).

Judy agreed and suggested Patty-Mae invite Joey over, too. Sleeping under the same roof tonight would give them all a chance to get to know each other better before leaving on their trip tomorrow and would make getting loaded up first thing in the morning a lot easier. Ryan agreed and then suggested Patty-Mae drive Judy over to grab her stuff and pick up Toot-toot after hammering out the details of the trip this afternoon.

"That's a good idea, Ryan," Judy agreed, but then said, "I'll be going over to Bobby's this evening for dinner, but I'll ride back to the ranch afterwards."

Ryan nodded. "That's fine. Patty-Mae will probably eat at Joey's tonight and I'm taking Daisy to the Blue Moon Diner after picking her up from work, so having you eat at Bobby's will work out for the best."

Hearing where Ryan was taking Daisy for dinner had stars sparkling in Judy's eyes. "You're taking Daisy on a date tonight!?"

Ryan nodded, but then explained, "I didn't call it a date when I asked her out, but now that I know how she feels about me, I'll be referring to it as a date when I pick her up this evening."

Judy laughed as her nose started twitching. "I'm so happy for you, Ryan! Once you start dating, it won't be long before you can ask her to marry you and start a life and family together!" With a happy squee, Judy added, "I can't wait to spend more time with Daisy tonight and get to know her better." Clapping her paws together, Judy murmured, "This is so exciting! This is going to be the best trip ever!"

Ryan agreed, but thought silently to himself that the only way for it to be the _'best trip ever'_ for Judy was if Nick was coming, too. But Ryan wasn't going to voice his opinion and possibly put a damper on his friend's good mood. Instead, he turned the conversation to some of the things Judy, Daisy, and Patty-Mae could do for their slumber party, as well as things they could do as a group—making smores over an open fire being one of them. They could even tell ghost stories or something once the sun went down.

The rest of the drive to Ryan's family ranch was filled with chatter and laughter as they discussed possible activities they could enjoy, both tonight and up at the cabin once they got there. Judy was truly looking forward to the trip and spending time with her new friends, but there was still a small part of her that was sad Nick wasn't coming with them—and wishing like crazy that he was.

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. There's a lot going on next time and will carry our characters into late afternoon in story. We'll learn more about Daisy's home life when she calls her brother, Judy and group will better plan out their trip, we'll meet Ryan's and Patty-Mae's parents, and more...so stay tuned.

Ch. 22: Just Be Happy, will post in 2 weeks. Take care. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.


	22. Chapter 22: Just Be Happy

After seeing Ryan and Judy off, Daisy escaped to the break room to try and calm down before calling her brother. Her younger brother Coriander (everyone called him Cori) was a little surprised to hear his older sister had made plans for the evening but wasn't bothered until he heard what the plans were.

"You mean to tell me Ryan is picking you up and you're staying several nights with him and a few friends and you're just going to drop that bombshell on mom when you get home to pack tonight! _Are you crazy!?_"

Daisy's ears folded back and her tail-tip flicked irritably. "Well, Ryan is coming in with me so mom won't yell at me."

"So? You're going to drop this bombshell on mom then leave, and I'm gonna have to deal with the fallout!" Cori took a deep breath, then exclaimed with a wave of his paw, "You can't do that to me! Dad won't be home from his 6-week shift in the oil field till next week and I can't be left alone with mom after she finds out what you're up to!"

Daisy sat silently at the break room table, unsure how to answer. When their mom got her tail in a tizzy over some incident or idea that disturbed her, she didn't let it go for days and constantly brought it up making everyone around her miserable with her constant nagging and negativity. She wasn't always this bad, but after Daisy became close friends with a hare—_a bunny_—after they moved to Bunnyburrow, her mom felt betrayed.

Originally, there were four kits in their family. Daisy was the oldest, then their sister Magnolia (she had already gotten married and moved out), and then Cori, and then their youngest brother, Tarragon. But he died when he was seven and their mother, Rosemary, blamed a bunny for it.

They had lived far outside the city of Podunk in Deerbrooke County when their brother Tarragon had fallen severally ill. At first, they tried to nurse him back to health themselves thinking it was just the flu, but by the time they realized he wasn't getting better—only worse—they rushed him to the nearest hospital, which happened to be a prey run hospital. After arriving with a deathly ill Tarragon, the family found out the hospital only accepted predators with specific insurances.

The bunny in question (who was a jackrabbit herself) just happened to be the receptionist at the hospital and she absolutely refused to admit the young skunk kit on the grounds that he was a predator who lacked the necessary insurance to be admitted. They had argued with the receptionist for a while, but they couldn't budge her and eventually left after the bunny called for security. By the time they arrived at a predator run hospital clear across the city, it was too late to save Tarragon. Their mother's grief was unimaginable and she never fully got over her youngest son's death.

Thereafter, Rosemary blamed every and all bunnies for her son's loss, so she couldn't understand why Daisy would not only become friends with one, but had also fallen in love with him. After Tarragon's death and then all the bullying that Daisy and the others received growing up from other mammals—mostly small prey mammals like rabbits—Rosemary felt it the worst kind of betrayal for Daisy to fall in love with a bunny.

In many ways, she felt that Daisy had stabbed her and the family in the back by forgiving the species that had taken so much from them—that had made them suffer so much. And whenever Daisy hung out with Ryan, or he came over to the house, it always brought up painful memories of Tarragon's death. Seeing the tall jackrabbit her daughter was infatuated with always reminded Rosemary of all the things her son had been robbed of having died so young.

While remembering the reason for her mom being so upset with her choice, Daisy cringed inside. But it didn't make her change her mind about going to Ryan's tonight or joining them on the camping trip tomorrow morning. Daisy knew her mom was wrong to blame all bunnies for what happened to Tarragon. And even though the bunny receptionist was a bit of a jerk, it was the hospital's policies that were actually to blame, and the wealthy (stuck-up) prey mammals at the top who put them into practice. But Rosemary didn't see it that way. She wanted someone to blame for her son's death and so she turned her pain and anger on the rabbit receptionist who denied them admittance to the hospital.

"Uh, hello, Daisy? Are you still there or did you mentally check out on me?" Cori finally asked when his sister remained silent and lost in thought.

Daisy shook her head to bring her thoughts back to the present. "Sorry, Cori, I was thinking of Tarragon and why mom is so bitter about me spending time with Ryan."

"Yeah, it's really messed up how mom keeps blaming Ryan for Tarragon's death."

"Yes, it is." With a heavy sigh, Daisy added, "I just wish she could let it go. Holding onto all that hate and anger isn't helping anyone and it certainly isn't going to bring Tarragon back. And you know that's what's causing mom's ulcers."

"Yeah, I know." Shaking his head, he added, "Believe me, I know." Cori was usually the one who had to pick up their mother's ulcer medication. Like his sister, he wished their mom could let go of the past and start truly living in the present. Although there were a lot of specist rabbits and hares, they certainly didn't have a monopoly on bullying skunks. And there were other bunnies like Ryan who were extremely helpful and friendly. But their mother couldn't see that. Whenever she saw Ryan, a jackrabbit, all she could think about was the bunny who killed her son.

With a shake of his head, Cori asked, "Are you sure you're going to have fun on this trip? The others aren't going to tease you or make you feel uncomfortable are they?" He knew that some of Ryan's brothers liked to tease Daisy and make her uneasy.

Daisy shook her head. "You don't have to worry about that. Besides Ryan, his sister Patty-Mae and her boyfriend Joey are going and they've always been nice to me. And Ryan's friend Judy is going. I met her today and she seems like a really nice rabbit. She's actually the one who invited me." With a bright smile, she added, "After Judy invited me, Ryan insisted I come and wouldn't take no for an answer."

Cori nodded, then said, "Well, if you promise to have a lot of fun while you're gone, I suppose I can deal with the fall out of the nuclear bomb you're about to drop on the house."

Daisy giggled at his description and replied, "Thanks, Cori, you're the best."

"Yeah, yeah," her brother replied good-naturedly. "Just . . . just be happy, that's all I ask."

Daisy immediately thought of Ryan and how he'd held her paw today, and had stroked her cheek, and had, _essentially_, asked her out on a date tonight. There was no way she could be any happier than she was right now (except actually being on that date with Ryan). "I am happy, Cori—_really happy_. So you don't have to worry."

With a nod, Cori said, "Well, I better let you go. My boss is glaring at me for talking on the phone."

"Okay, Cori. And thanks again. You're the best brother ever. Love ya."

"Love ya, too, Daisy. Bye."

"Bye." As Daisy disconnected the call, she sat back in her chair and thought once more of how differently—_how intimately_—Ryan had treated her today. And the fact he was taking her to the Blue Moon Diner still made her head spin. She couldn't wait for her shift to end today.

Looking at the time, Daisy figured Ryan should be home by now, so she decided to take an early break and call him. The store hadn't been super busy today, and their coworker Sherry had already returned from her own break, so her and Bobby could handle the customers while Daisy called Ryan to help plan the trip tomorrow.

Ryan picked up on the second ring and said she had called at the perfect time. After putting her on speaker phone, Patty-Mae then called Joey and put him on speaker, too, as he also couldn't make it in person. They then started making plans for the morrow.

It was decided that after the meeting, Patty-Mae would go over to Joey's place and the two of them would pick out King Emus for them to use on the trip. A couple of the largest King emus would work as pack animals, and with their size they should be able to get all the supplies loaded onto them. As for the others, Patty-Mae figured it would improve her King emus' selling points if she could show that the animals were sure-footed and safe to ride in the mountains so she wanted everyone to ride one.

Judy, of course, would ride Toot-toot and Ryan offered to ride JD since he was most familiar with the bird as he was the one who broke him to the saddle. Patty-Mae, Joey, and Daisy would ride one of the other King emus Patty-Mae was hoping to sell. This worked out for Daisy as her family didn't own any emus, just two rheas. Before heading to Joey's, though, Patty-Mae would run Judy over to her house to pack her things and pick up Toot-toot.

Seeing as they were taking seven birds with them, two of which were easily twice the size of the others, they decided to take two vehicles. Ryan would take his truck and bird trailer which the three largest birds would be carried in (JD and the two pack birds) while Patty-Mae would take her truck and one of Joey's bird trailers which the four smaller birds would ride in.

As Patty-Mae was heading over to Joey's after she and Judy picked her stuff up, and with Judy heading over to Bobby's for dinner afterwards while Ryan would pick Daisy up from work, it was decided they would all meet back up at the Lazy 'L' Ranch at about 7ish. That way everyone could enjoy their evening without feeling rushed. And once they were all together again, they would load everything into the trucks that weren't needed that night or first thing in the morning. Then, once all the work was finished, they could build a bonfire and roast marshmallows, make some smores, tell ghost stories—or anything else fun that popped into their heads.

With their plans for the night made, Daisy said goodbye as she needed to get back to work. Joey also needed to go. After the two calls were ended, Ryan didn't immediately get up from the table where he, Judy, and Patty-Mae were sitting at (they were in the carpentry barn as it was quiet in here today with most of their siblings working with their birds in preparation for the rodeo). As Judy and Patty-Mae rose to leave, Ryan raised a paw and said, "Before you two leave, can I make a suggestion?"

Judy and Patty-Mae glanced at each other and shrugged, then settled back in their seats. "Okay," Patty-Mae replied. "What's up?" Since they'd already finished with the planning meeting, she was highly curious to find out what Ryan had to say now. Judy was equally curious, as could be seen by her twitching nose.

Taking a deep breath, Ryan clasped his paws together and leaned across the table towards his friend and sister. "Okay, since the five of us are staying together tonight, I think it would be beneficial for us if we didn't stay at the house and be bombarded by a million questions by our overly curious and annoying siblings. Especially since there are several who are really good at making Daisy wish she hadn't come over."

Judy and Patty-Mae's ears drooped a little at hearing Ryan's remark, and then Patty-Mae pointed out, "I agree with what you're saying, but where else could we stay? We'd have the same problems at both Judy's and Joey's burrows."

"Well, yeah, Judy's and Joey's places are out of the question, but there is one place we could go and it would be just the five of us." Ryan's tale flicked behind him as he hadn't told anyone but his dad about the property he had bought a few days after buying Daisy's engagement ring. The place had the utilities but lacked any buildings (including a house) so everything had to be built from the ground up. Ryan was fine with this because it meant he got to decide how everything was built and ensured they had everything they needed. And with the help of his dad and a few of his friends, the place was ready to move into. He even had it furnished.

Patty-Mae's brow rose as she stared at her brother. "Oh really? And where might this place be?" she asked curiously.

"Okay, so this going to make more sense to Judy," he glanced at her, "after what I showed you at lunch today."

Judy's ears perked up. She knew he was referring to Daisy's engagement ring and it only took a moment for her to figure out what he must be talking about. A paw flew to her mouth as she exclaimed, "You mean you already bought a place!?"

Ryan nodded even as Patty-Mae exclaimed, "What do you mean, you 'bought a place'!?" Grabbing her ears and pulling on them, she added, "How can you buy a place and not tell your favorite sister!" Releasing her ears, she then pointed to Judy while still looking at Ryan and demanded, "And what did you show Judy that you obviously haven't shown me!?"

Ryan chuckled softly at his sister's pouty, outraged expression. She was right—out of all his sisters (he had 27 sisters and 21 brothers), Patty-Mae was his favorite. Not only did he help her breed and break her King emus, he and Patty-Mae did a lot of other things together, too. And next to his parents, Patty-Mae had been his biggest supporter of him going to veterinary school.

Meeting Patty-Mae's amber gaze, Ryan said, "You're probably wondering why Judy invited Daisy on our trip tomorrow."

Patty-Mae sat back in her chair and folded her arms. With a shrug, she replied, "I know she's your best friend. I wasn't too surprised."

Ryan gave a slight shake of his head, saying, "There's more to it than that." Reaching into his pocket to pull out the ring box, he popped the top and handed it to his very curious sister. "Daisy is your future sister-in-law."

Patty-Mae gasped as she took the ring box and looked down onto the engagement ring with a brilliant diamond nestled between two stunning sapphires set into a beautiful golden band. Covering her mouth in awe, she whispered, "You're going to ask Daisy to marry you!?" Looking up, she asked, "Have you two been secretly dating!?"

Ryan shook his head. "More like unofficially dating." At Patty-Mae's questioning gaze, he explained, "She's a predator—I'm prey. Neither of us was quite sure how the other felt and so we were both afraid to take our relationship a step further." Glancing at Judy with a wry smile, Ryan added, "But seeing Judy chase after her fox made me realize how dumb I was being." Meeting Patty-Mae's amber gaze again, he added, "I love Daisy, and I now know she loves me." He glanced at Judy briefly and smiled, then looked back at his sister. "I realize now how much time we've both wasted over the last couple of years and I don't want to waste anymore."

Taking the ring box back from Patty-Mae, Ryan continued, saying, "I'm taking Daisy to the Blue Moon Diner tonight for our first official date." Leaning forward, he met his sister's excited gaze and asked, "So I was wondering if Daisy could borrow one of your dresses for tonight? With the Blue Moon being the nicest restaurant in town, I don't want Daisy feeling self-conscious showing up in her work clothes."

With a happy squeal, Patty-Mae replied, "Of course! She'll look beautiful tonight." Turning to Judy, she asked, "How would you like to help me pick out a dress for her?"

"I would love to," Judy replied excitedly. Being able to help Ryan get the pred girl of his dreams warmed her heart and gave her more hope that she would be able to catch her own dream predator—_her fox_.

As the two girls began to get up, Ryan laughed, asking, "Aren't you forgetting something?" As the girls looked at him, he said, "You don't even know where my place is!"

Judy and Patty-Mae looked sheepishly at each other and then sat back down. When they were paying attention again, Ryan explained where his new place was and how to get there. One of their neighbors, Mr. Catterson, an old lynx widower whose kits had all grown up and moved out, was selling parcels of his land off as he had no one left to leave his land to. Ryan had bought up six acres.

The property sat across the road that ran along the west side of his family's land so Ryan's place was literally around the corner from his family's property (even though, being out in the country, 'around the corner' was still a few miles away). Patty-Mae and Daisy were both excited to see the place, but Ryan told them they couldn't see it until after Daisy saw it, which is why he suggested they all meet back up at seven. His dinner date with her should be done by six at the latest which would give them plenty of time to swing by Daisy's place to grab her stuff and make it back to his new place before everyone else showed up.

Judy and Patty-Mae readily agreed seeing as Ryan had bought the place for Daisy. After getting everything squared away for tonight, Patty-Mae dragged Judy over to the house and up to her room so they could pick out a stunning outfit for Daisy on her first official date with Ryan. It took them a bit of time rifling through her paltry collection of classy dresses (opposed to her normal button-up shirts and blue jean skirts), but Patty-Mae and Judy finally settled on the perfect outfit. After setting it into a pink and green gift bag, along with a few matching accessories, they handed it over to Ryan with the strict command that he wasn't to see the dress until Daisy was wearing it.

Ryan gave his solemn oath not to peek and then waved the girls off as they had to swing by the Hopps' burrow so Judy could pack her bags and pick up Toot-toot (Ryan had hooked up one of their smaller bird trailers to the back of Patty-Mae's midnight blue, Chevy Silverado truck). The girls arrived at the Hopps' burrow in good time and Judy was eternally grateful to see that the field where they parked the cars was mostly empty—testifying to the fact that most of her family was still over at the rodeo grounds.

Patty-Mae parked in the back, near the large bird barn to make it easier to load Toot-toot in, then snuck into the house through the side door. Not wanting to get bombarded with a thousand questions, Judy was trying to avoid running into anyone. They made it to her room easily enough, and Patty-Mae helped her pack, and yes—after some frantic searching—she finally found her phone under her pillow where it had slipped the night before. Upon realizing it was completely dead, Patty-Mae offered to let her charge it in the truck.

Judy thanked her for the offer and readily accepted, then wrote a note for her parents letting them know she was staying with Patty-Mae tonight, gave them her friend's number, then reminded them they were leaving first thing in the morning for Grandma Cecilia's cabin and wouldn't be back until Saturday afternoon.

As they were making their way towards her parents' study to drop off the note, they ran into a couple of Judy's nieces, Samantha and Chelsea. Samantha was a milk chocolate bunny with black markings on her ears, face, and paws, while Chelsea was a tan bunny with a white muzzle, chest, and paws. Chelsea also wore glasses and both girls were carrying thick books in their paws as they both loved to read. When they were done with their chores you could usually find them curled up with a good book or working on a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Judy greeted them warmly and introduced her friend Patty-Mae to the two. They were interested in meeting her, especially after learning Patty-Mae was the one who bred Judy's two King emus (they, too, were impressed with JD's size and fluffy white chest). They chatted for a few moments, then Judy explained she was headed back to Patty-Mae's for the night and that they and three of their friends were headed into the mountains for a camping trip first thing in the morning.

The girls were sorry they couldn't go but hoped Judy and Patty-Mae had a fun trip. Judy promised they would, then handed the note over to Samantha to put on Stu and Bonnie's desk in their study. The girls promised they would, then wished them a safe trip. After returning to the truck, Judy stashed her stuff in the back seat then she and Patty-Mae hopped into the barn to grab Toot-toot, along with her bridle.

Once the bird was secure in the trailer, Judy and Patty-Mae jumped back into the truck and Judy plugged her phone into the charger. After giving it a couple of minutes to charge, Judy turned it on and about had a heart attack from all the voicemail and text notifications that lit up her screen. After her heart slowed back down to a normal rate, Judy started checking through her text messages first but couldn't believe what she was reading.

Quite a few of her siblings—most of whom she hardly had anything to do with—were suddenly sending her messages, asking how she was doing, if she wanted to go to the watering hole, if they could go riding together, one of them found a nice place to read a book and would Judy like to join her. Another sister picked some ripe strawberries and would Judy like to eat some . . . ?

With wide eyes, Judy scanned through the texts, then started deleting the ones asking if she was okay and why hadn't she replied yet. Many of her family had sent her similar texts when she first arrived home and was so depressed, but after two months of not getting much of a reply from Judy (she had hardly looked at her phone when she first returned home as she was too depressed to talk to anyone or keep up with social media), most of her family stopped bothering her . . . so why was she getting a ton of texts now?

She was no longer moping around the house, she had bought two emus and had plans of getting a new job—so why were they suddenly asking her to spend all this time with them? It didn't make any sense and left Judy confused. She replied to a few saying that she was spending the next several days with friends and wouldn't be home. After getting tired of going through her texts (she couldn't believe how many her siblings had sent her!), Judy switched to listening to her voicemails. They were from the same siblings who had sent her all the text messages and were basically asking the same thing.

Patty-Mae watched from the driver's seat as her friend's confusion turned to frustration at the messages she had received over the phone. "Is this normal for them to call you like this?"

Judy shook her head. "It was when I first returned home and was such a mess, but it hasn't been this bad in almost a month." With droopy ears and a twitching nose, she added, "Most of these messages are from siblings I'm not even that close to which makes it even more puzzling." Shaking her head again, Judy groaned, "I have no idea why they're calling—they should already know that I'd turn them down—and now they have my inbox completely full so anyone else trying to call can't even leave a message! It's ridiculous!"

With an annoyed huff, Judy turned her phone off and left it to finish charging, saying, "I'll deal with it later. I'm determined to have an enjoyable evening and having to listen to my obnoxious siblings acting all cute and innocent while secretly trying to annoy the shitake mushrooms out me will just ruin my mood." With another huff, she folded her arms and stared out the passenger-side window.

Patty-Mae was quiet for a moment, then thought of a subject they could talk about. "Okay, then how about you tell me about the conversation you had with Ryan this afternoon? He was talking about Daisy, wasn't he?"

Judy immediately brightened at this change in subject and they spent the rest of the time discussing Ryan and Daisy's unofficial relationship and how they were both happy and excited for them to finally get together as an official couple and wondered how soon Ryan planned to propose to Daisy.

-/-/-

After Judy and Patty-Mae left him, Ryan went in search of his dad to let him know the details of their trip tomorrow and inform him they would be borrowing one of the horse trailers. Tyrone Leaps was a large, strong jackrabbit in his fifties with a lot of wisdom shining in his deep amber eyes (Patty-Mae inherited his eye color). His fur was a medium brown with the typical black and gray fur speckled across his head and down his back, with a white underbelly and a black tail. His ears were black as were his paws, with the black of his front paws traveling up to his elbows, much like it did with red foxes.

Ryan found him in his study going through the family finances to make sure everything was on the up and up. As Ryan sat down, his dad laid his paperwork aside and turned his attention to his younger son who, with his love of woodworking and ranching, took most after him. Listening patiently as Ryan told him of his and Patty-Mae's plans, Tyrone wasn't the least bit surprised to find out Daisy was going on the trip as his son did a lot of activities with the pretty female skunk.

He did raise an eyebrow, though, when Ryan told him they would all be staying at his new place tonight. Although Ryan's new home had been finished and furnished for the last few weeks, Ryan had yet to move in. Tyrone had assumed it was because Ryan didn't have anyone to come home to (and he had a strong suspicion of who his son was waiting for).

At his dad's questioning look, Ryan took a deep breath and reached into his pocket to show him the engagement ring he had bought for Daisy. As his dad took the ring box, Ryan explained that he had a date with Daisy this evening and that he hoped to propose to her by the end of the week.

Tyrone merely nodded. Daisy was the only girl Ryan had ever shown any interest in, so the old buck was simply waiting for the news that the two were finally together. Tyrone didn't like seeing his son alone but knew a relationship between a predator and prey couldn't be rushed and so he patiently waited until the two were ready to take that next step from friendship to mates.

Ryan relaxed at his dad's easy acceptance of his chosen mate. "You're fine with me choosing Daisy?" he asked just to be sure.

Tyrone chuckled at his son's question. Motioning towards Ryan, he answered, "Son, Daisy has spent so much time over here—_and with you_—that I already consider her part of the family. I'm just glad the wait is finally over."

Laughing in return, Ryan scratched the back of his head, saying, "Yeah, it's been a long time in coming."

Tyrone nodded. "That it has." With a nod of acceptance, he added, "You just be sure to treat that girl right. I know the likelihood of the City Council approving a marriage between you two will be a long, hard fight, but you better treat Daisy with the utmost respect as if you did have that marriage certificate."

Ryan grinned widely. "Don't worry, Dad, I'll take it a step further. With or without a marriage license, I plan to exchange vows with Daisy. She'll be my mate for life, you can depend on that, because I can't imagine myself with anyone else."

With a curt nod, Tyrone said, "Good. Then you have my full support. Just be sure to keep that girl happy." Standing up to pat his son on the shoulder before pulling him into a strong hug, he added, "Out of all the girls you and your brothers have brought home, Daisy has to be one of the sweetest and I can't wait to make her officially part of the family."

Ryan squeezed his dad back as tears smarted his eyes. "Thanks, Dad, this means a lot to me."

They broke from the hug and Tyrone suggested Ryan go inform his mother of his plans. Nodding, Ryan left his dad's office to go in search of his mom. After traversing their large, 4-story ranch house, he eventually found her sitting in her sewing room trying to finish crocheting the last of the booties she was making for her grandbabies due to be born sometime next week. She had already made five sets of little hats, sweaters, and leggings so all that was left were the booties.

Walking into the room, Ryan immediately saw several of his sisters and a few sisters-in-law sitting around crocheting, knitting, or sewing (there were several sewing machines in the room). Sitting down in an unoccupied overstuffed chair that was used to sit in while knitting or crocheting, Ryan watched his mother and sisters fuss over their various projects.

Mayblossom Leaps was a petite jackrabbit with light tan fur that faded into the white of her muzzle and underbelly fur. She had the typical black tipped ears and dark markings around her eyes with just a smattering of black and gray fur mixed in with the slightly darker tan fur of her back. She also had rich, mahogany eyes that were full of joy and laughter. Hardly anything got her down and she was always bustling about with smiles and hugs for anyone who looked in need of some cheer in their life. Being able to help someone in need, no matter how big or how small the effort needed, always brightened Mayblossom's day. She just loved putting a smile on someone's face.

So, seeing her son come in and plop down on a chair without saying more than a customary 'hello' had Mayblossom a little worried. It was obvious her son needed to speak to her but wasn't willing to speak in front of his sisters. He didn't look very down, though, just thoughtful, so she hoped whatever he had to say was nothing dire.

Setting aside the tiny booties she was working on, Mayblossom stood up and motioned for Ryan to precede her out the door. After excusing herself from the room, and promising her daughters she would be back shortly, Mayblossom led her son up to the second floor and down the hallway to her room. As Ryan didn't want to be overheard, she knew her bedroom was the safest place to talk.

After shutting the door, she walked over and sat down in the rocking chair she had inherited from her great-grandmother, then motioned for Ryan to take his father's chair next to her. Both chairs sat in front of a small stone fireplace.

Ryan sat down and started rocking slowly but didn't say anything. After a few moments of sitting comfortably, his mother finally broke the silence.

"So what do you need to talk to me about, son?" Mayblossom asked curiously. Her son Ryan, though quiet and thoughtful, wasn't usually so reserved.

Folding his arms across his lap, Ryan answered, "I asked Daisy to go on a date with me tonight."

Mayblossom immediately perked up and her eyes started shining with excitement. "Really!? You finally asked Daisy on a real date!? That's fantastic! Where are you taking her?"

Ryan's ear twitched at his mother's excited acceptance of him and Daisy dating, though he shouldn't be too surprised. Nothing got past his mother's observant eyes. Ryan had inherited his own observant attitude and the ability to see a person's real intentions from his mother, after all. "I'm picking her up from work and taking her to the Blue Moon Diner."

Mayblossom clapped her paws together. "That's perfect!" Pausing to picture the cute couple on their first date (a first date that should have happened ages ago!), she then asked, "Does Daisy have a dress to wear? I know she prefers wearing jeans, but she absolutely must dress up for tonight. I doubt her mother will let her borrow one of her dresses if Rosemary knew Daisy was dating you."

Shaking her head in sorrow and a hint of irritation, Mayblossom added, "I swear, that female has a burr stuck up her tail something fierce. And whenever we meet at the store, she glares at me like I had just trampled all over her prized begonias! And afterwards, she scurries off like I have the plague or something!" Shaking her head in disbelief, Mayblossom said, "I know she only does it because I'm your mother and Rosemary doesn't think you should be hanging around her daughter, but still, she takes her disapproval a little far, don't you think?"

Ryan sighed at hearing how Daisy's mom treated his own, though he could kind of understand. Daisy had shared with him how her mom blamed a bunny (specifically a jackrabbit) for the death of her youngest kit and how she had never gotten over it. Ryan hadn't shared the story with anyone though, as he didn't feel it was his place.

Leaning back in the rocking chair while staring into the blackened, empty fireplace, Ryan finally said, "Yeah, Rosemary is going to have a conniption fit when she finds out Daisy went on a date with me tonight." With a heavy sigh, he added, "I'm sure she'll blow a gasket when Daisy tells her she's spending the next several days and nights with me and a bunch of bunnies." Glancing at his mom with a smile, he added, "Judy invited her along for our trip to the mountains tomorrow." With a wider grin, he added, "But you don't have to worry about a dress. Patty-Mae is letting Daisy borrow one of hers and I know she'll look absolutely stunning."

Smiling brightly, Mayblossom replied, "Well, if Patty-Mae picked the dress out then I have nothing to worry about. You have to take pictures for me, though."

Ryan chuckled lightly. "I will, I promise."

Mayblossom nodded, then asked, "And how soon can I expect a wedding?" At Ryan's raised brow, she waved her paw at him and said, "Don't give me that. The way you two have been dancing around your feelings for years, I'd say a wedding is long overdue. There have been several times I just wanted to smack your heads together and ask what the problem was? Why weren't you dating already?"

Pointing her finger at her son, she continued, "Do you know that whenever Daisy steps into a room, she always scans it looking for you. And when she finds you, this soft, shy smile always finds its way to her lips. And when you're busy with something, she watches you like a hawk! It's like no one else exists!" With a satisfied smile, Mayblossom added, "And don't think I haven't caught you watching her the same way when she's in the middle of something."

Ryan's jaw went slack at his mother's detailed observations, then snapped his mouth shut and wiped a paw down his face. "I wish you had pointed this all out to me over a year ago."

Mayblossom merely grinned smugly. "Like I said, this wedding is long overdue, so when can I expect it?"

Dropping his paw, Ryan shook his head as a wide smile spread across his face. Reaching into his pocket once again, he leaned forward to hand his mom the ring box. As his mom opened the box, he said, "I plan to propose sometime this week."

Putting a paw over her mouth, Mayblossom 'aahed' over the beautiful ring, then looked up and said, "Good. It's about time you answer that sweet girl's prayers and marry her." With a grin and wave of her paw, she added, "And once you guys get Judy's cabin fixed up, you can have a simple, little ceremony up there." Closing her eyes as she pictured a wedding up in the mountains, surrounded by trees and sweeping vistas as you could practically touch the deep blue sky, Mayblossom hummed in excitement. She didn't know the exact location of Judy's cabin, but imagined it to be high up a ridge and overlooking a valley.

Ryan's jaw dropped. "You think Daisy and I should have our wedding up in the mountains?"

"Oh, yes," replied his mother. "A mountain wedding will be so romantic. Wait until the rodeo's over and then make another trip up there with your friends."

Ryan's ear flicked. Although the idea was highly tempting, he hadn't even asked Daisy to be his girlfriend yet. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Don't you think that would be moving a little too fast?"

"Oh, pish-posh," Mayblossom answered, "You too have been dating for _years_, you just haven't admitted to it." With a flick of her paw towards her son, she explained, "So after dating for so long and spending so much time together, the only logical step now is getting married, isn't it?"

Not waiting for an answer, Mayblossom stood up and handed Ryan his ring back, then entered her large, walk-in closet while speaking over her shoulder, "I know you can't get a marriage license right away, which is why I suggest a small ceremony up in the mountains. You'll have Patty-Mae, Joey, and Judy as witnesses and that's all you really need. And if you have the wedding up there, then the news of your marriage won't spread through town. I know how much Daisy is picked on for being a skunk, bless her heart."

Ryan had followed his mother to her closet entrance and watched as she rifled through a row of black, zip-up dress bags. As she found the one she wanted, the older doe brought it out and handed it to him to hold up, then she unzipped it to reveal a beautiful white wedding gown with a lacy bodice and a flowing skirt. Ryan's eyes about fell out of their sockets as he stared at what could only be Daisy's wedding gown. "You made a wedding dress for Daisy!?"

"Of course, I did. How else was she going to have a gown ready in time?" Flicking her tail, Maryblossom continued, "I didn't know when you two would get married, but I knew for sure her mother would never help her out. And needing to buy a wedding gown is so expensive!" She tutted in thought for a second, then added, "And finding the right one can be such a hassle. I had a sister—your Aunt Maryann—who bought one at a store in the city and I swear, she must have looked through and tried on over a hundred different gowns before buying one and it still wasn't exactly what she wanted."

Leaving Ryan to hold (and ogle) the dress, she showed him the veil and matching gloves. Then she walked over to her dresser and took out a long, flat box that a necklace would be placed in after being purchased. Removing the silver lid, a shimmering silver necklace was revealed. The main chain of the necklace was a twisted braid, while the front half of the necklace was a silver vine with small leaves spread out from it. Two round, light-blue sapphires connected the twisted parts of the necklace to the vine, as two more round, light-blue sapphires split the vine in half on both the right and left side of the necklace. The centerpiece was a larger, teardrop-shaped sapphire surrounded by a multitude of tiny, crystal-clear quartz rhinestones.

Seeing the awe and wonder in her son's eyes, Mayblossom explained, "This is my wedding gift to Daisy. It's something blue and something old as it belonged to your grandma Sherry. I want Daisy to have it now."

Ryan nodded thoughtlessly, too shocked by everything to give a more thought-induced response.

Mayblossom then picked up a white, lace bow that was worn around the ear. "This is something borrowed and is what gave me the inspiration for the lacy bodice on Daisy's dress."

Taking a closer look, Ryan realized that the flowery lacy pattern of the dress matched the flowers in the bow, though the lace flowers of the dress had been slightly enlarged from the ones in the bow. Furthermore, the little flowers just happened to be little white daisies.

Lastly, Mayblossom grabbed a larger ring box and opened it up to reveal two antique gold wedding bands. "These were your great-grandpa and great-grandma Lepuson's wedding bands. And now they'll be yours and Daisy's."

Looking the gold bands over, Ryan noticed a tiny vine etched into each ring as it crawled across the gold and met up with itself in a never-ending loop around the band. "You know the story of your great-grandparents, so I won't bore you with the details now, but you have to admit that their story isn't so different from yours and Daisy's in some respects. And if Daisy asks about them, you be sure to tell her their story."

Moving her mahogany gaze from the rings back to her son, Mayblossom continued, "You make sure Daisy knows that she's family, and has been for a while now." With a small shake of her head, she murmured, "Heaven help us when Rosemary finds out about you two." With her nose twitching, she murmured, "I only pray that she doesn't disown the poor girl." Meeting Ryan's light brown gaze, she stated, "If that happens or her mother claims to never want to see her again, you assure Daisy that she has a family here. Your father and I have long since considered her our daughter and have only been waiting for you two to officially get together so we can formally welcome her into our home and family."

Watching her son's flabbergasted expression as he stood in stunned silence, Mayblossom finally asked, "So what do you think?"

Ryan worked his jaw for a moment, then finally said, "I think I need to sit down."

With a laugh, Mayblossom zipped the dress back into its protective bag and laid it across the bed, along with the jewelry that went with it. Putting a paw on Ryan's arm, she guided him back to the rocking chair where he collapsed. Sitting back in her own rocking chair, she waited for her son to wrap his head around the ideas she had just given him.

Ryan dropped his head into his paws and took several deep breaths. He had always hoped his parents would support a relationship between him and Daisy as they never had a problem with her being over, but this was far more support and acceptance than he ever dreamed of receiving.

Lifting his head and resting his chin on his clasped paws, he asked, "You and dad really see Daisy as part of the family?"

"Of course, we do." With her ears drooping comfortably behind her, Mayblossom leaned back in her chair, saying, "The first time you brought Daisy home your father and I knew immediately that there was something special between you two. And as the years passed, that something grew and matured. She stares at you with such love and adoration—it's the same way I looked at your father when we first started dating. And then seeing how protective you are of the girl and how you go out of your way to give her what she needs and to make her smile, well, we just knew you two were meant to be."

Ryan nodded, then asked, "And you're fine with us getting married up in the mountains?"

"Well, if you're asking if I'm fine with missing it, I admit that I wish I could be there, but we both know those fuddy-duddies on the Town Council will never approve a pred-prey marriage, so there's no point in even attempting to have a wedding down here." Lightly touching her chin and tilting her head, Mayblossom added, "This will also give you a chance to settle into your new roles as a married couple without a bunch of finger-pointing and species' slurs being slung at you—at least for a little while, anyways."

With a shake of her head, she then said, "I'd like to think the town won't put up that much of a fuss when they find out about you two, but it's best to get settled into your new life before having to deal with the few old gossiping fools who insist on putting their noses in where they don't belong."

Ryan nodded, then laughed. Standing up, he pulled his mom to her feet and enveloped her in a huge hug. "Thanks, Mom, for everything. This wedding is going to be perfect."

"Well, it better be," his mom laughed back, "considering how much effort I put into making sure it happened." Mayblossom was thinking of the wedding dress she'd spent weeks making, along with the years she'd spent praying for the two to make their relationship official.

Squeezing his mom one last time, Ryan stepped back and met her warm, loving gaze. "We'll all be staying at my place tonight and leave from there first thing in the morning." With a wide grin spreading across his face, he added, "And if everything works out, by the time we get back, Daisy and I will be engaged."

Mayblossom gave a churr of happiness and said, "I cannot wait to see that ring on Daisy's finger! And if you're showing Daisy your new place today, does that mean you'll finally be moving into the house?"

Nodding, Ryan replied, "Yeah. I'll start packing my room up once we return from the trip. If we get back early enough, I should have time to get the essentials packed before I have to be over at the rodeo grounds for the barreling racing event." With a flick of one of his long ears, he added, "But I'll need to raid the kitchen. I have absolutely nothing to eat at my place."

With another laugh, Mayblossom said, "Come on, I'll help you put this stuff in your truck and then we can raid the kitchen together."

With a soft chuckle, Ryan nodded, then grabbed the dress bag from the bed as his mom grabbed the ring and necklace boxes. They had just finished putting them in the back seat of his truck when Patty-Mae and Judy returned with her stuff and Toot-toot.

Upon hearing that Patty-Mae would take Judy over to Bobby's and that he would then drop her off at Ryan's place at 7, Ryan told them not to bother taking Toot-toot out of the bird trailer. He was heading over to his house to drop a few things off and plug everything in—including the fridge as it needed time to get cold before they could put anything in it—and so would simply take Toot-toot and JD over with him when he went.

The girls agreed and after unhooking the trailer from Patty-Mae's truck and onto Ryan's, they then helped him put birdfeed in the bed of the truck before loading JD into the trailer. The three of them then loaded up all the halters, lead ropes, bridles, and saddles into the bed of the truck and made sure everything was secure. Judy then followed Patty-Mae into her room to help her pack.

With a grin, Ryan followed the girls into the house. While they ran upstairs to Patty's room, he walked down the hall to the large kitchen to pick up the non-perishable food items his mom was packing for him.

Whistling as he went, he met his mom inside and took the four reusable bags filled with food that she handed to him, then kissed her on the cheek before heading out to the truck. With the food safely sitting on the floorboards of the passenger seat, he ran back to his room to pack his things for the trip tomorrow. He also made sure to grab clean clothes for his date tonight.

Ryan then drove down the lane and around the corner to his new home. The driveway was long and cut through a patch of thick trees for about a quarter of a mile, then thinned out and opened up into a meadow that revealed the quaint log cabin sitting on a cobblestone foundation, with a wide wrap-around porch.

The bright, amber logs were thick and rounded and sat snuggly one atop the other with a pitched green roof that blended in with the trees surrounding it. Driving off to the right of the house, Ryan looked over the barn and corrals. Stopping in front of the yellow barn with white trim, Ryan led the emus out of the trailer and released them into the small pasture behind the barn and then carried the saddles and halters into the tack room before dropping the feed off in the feed room. After making sure the birds had plenty of water, he carried Daisy's dress inside and hung it up in his bedroom closet, then went back for the jewelry and his own clothes.

Next, he put the food away and plugged everything in (the fridge, microwave, tv, blu ray player, and several digital clocks). The house definitely had a homier feel to it with food out on the counters. He had filled the two large, glass containers sitting on the counter by the fridge with flour and sugar and had a bowl of fruit sitting on the snack bar that opened up into the dining and living room area.

The faint glow of the clocks to mark the passing of time gave the place a nice lived-in vibe, too. There was even a large grandfather clock Ryan had found at an estate sale and snatched it up before anyone else could buy it (Daisy had commented on several occasions about missing the grandfather clock her own grandparents owned when she was little).

Once everything was put away, Ryan returned to his room to change for his date tonight. After donning a clean pair of black jeans, a black cowboy shirt with a blue and white stylized pattern running up and down the dark fabric at either side of the blue buttons, he then put on a bolo tie that had a bright blue sapphire set into the silver buckle. After straightening the tie, he slipped on his blue belt with its silver belt buckle that had daisies etched into the shiny metal.

Ryan finished the outfit by digging out his black Stetson. Dusting it off, he glanced over the sapphire-blue hat band with silver-metal daisies evenly spaced around it (Daisy had given it to him as a birthday present a couple of years ago). The hat also had a hatpin in it that was made up of a lock of Daisy's white tail fur, bound together with a strip of black faux leather and sporting a bright blue sapphire (it wasn't a real sapphire, but you couldn't tell to look at it).

After taking one last look in the mirror, Ryan dabbed on some cologne (it had the light scent of cinnamon and cloves—another present from Daisy), and then headed outside. After locking up, he hopped in his truck and headed back to his family's house to drop off the small bird trailer Patty-Mae had used to pick up Toot-toot. He would pick up the larger trailer when he came back for the refrigerated food after his and Daisy's date. The refrigerator should be cold enough by then.

After parking near the barn, Ryan hopped out and unhitched the trailer when a couple of his sisters (Cynthia and Camellia) walked past him into the barn. Upon seeing their sister Shirleen saddling up her female rhea, Camellia called out to her in a sing-song voice, "Hey, Shirl-_een_, guess who came to town?"

Shirleen was a tan, black, and gray brindled doe with solid black ears, nose, and tail. Glancing over as her sisters walked towards her, she gave a shrug and asked, "I don't know. Who?"

With a giggle, Camellia, who was a tan and gray doe with just a little bit of black sprinkled through her fur and black marking around her eyes and the tips of her ears, answered, "There's a new red fox helping out at Gideon's bakery and he is _to die for!"_

Shirleen glanced over at Cynthia for confirmation.

The black and gray bridled Cynthia nodded, saying, "Camellia is right, this fox is pretty hot stuff."

"That's an understatement! Nick is tall and lean and carries himself with an air of confidence you hardly ever see in a country fox." Reaching out to grab her sister's arm, Camellia added with a huge grin, "He's from the city and has this rich, smooth voice I could listen to all day." With another giggle and shining amber eyes, she said, "And his eyes! He has these bright pine-green eyes that I wouldn't mind getting lost in."

Shirleen was just rolling her light-brown eyes at her sister's new pred-craze (every few weeks Camellia would come up with a new predator she would talk about pursuing, but her pred-crazes never amounted to anything more than talk and pred-watching), when their conversation was interrupted by Ryan.

Grabbing Camellia's arm, he spun her around to face him and quickly asked, "This city fox named Nick—his last name wouldn't happen to be Wilde would it?"

His sister's amber eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Yeah, it is. Nick Wilde. How did you know!?"

Releasing her arm, Ryan ran a paw down his face. "He came. He actually came," he muttered to himself. With a laugh, Ryan then grabbed Camellia around the middle and hugged her tight as he picked her up and spun her around. "You're the best!" he cried before setting her down and kissing her on the forehead before taking a step back.

The girls all glanced at each other in confusion, then Shirleen asked, "Ryan, what are you talking about?"

With a shake of his head, Ryan replied, "I need to talk to Nick." Glancing to Camellia and Cynthia, he asked, "You said he was helping Gideon out, right?"

"Yeah," Cynthia answered. "He was helping out in the morning but then left to help Gideon make his deliveries but didn't come back when Gideon did. We spent most of the afternoon there, but Nick never returned.

Ryan shook his head again. "Doesn't matter. If he's not there right now, Gideon will know how to get a hold of him." Spinning around he sprinted for his truck. Opening the door, he hopped in, but then stopped (still standing in the door) and glanced back at his sisters to say, "Camellia, Nick's already taken so there's no point in chasing him."

Camellia's jaw dropped, but then she quickly asked, "How do you know that? And how do you know Nick?"

Ryan simply grinned. "Nick is unavailable, but if you were to ask Jaxon out, I doubt he'd turn you down." Although his sister's predator interest kept jumping around, she always seemed to come back to Jaxon, a bobcat who had been the runt of his litter, making him small for his species (he was shorter than most female bobcats).

Jaxon was nice enough, though, and seemed to be interested in Camellia, too, as they would always stop and chat together whenever they ran into each other in town. But like Ryan and Daisy, neither Camellia nor Jaxon were confident enough to take their friendship a step further. They were from two different worlds—_predator and prey_—and there was no getting around it. Or so they thought. Ryan hoped to prove them wrong. And then maybe they could do a double date—or a triple if Nick and Judy started dating, too.

"Wait!" Camellia called out as Ryan dropped down into the driver's seat. "Are you serious!?"

"Absolutely," he called over his shoulder. Not waiting for a reply, Ryan shut the truck door and sped off. He was going to be half an hour early picking Daisy up, and at first, he planned to just sit and wait for her to get off work, but now that he knew Nick was in town, he figured that 30 minutes could be better used tracking down the fox.

Speeding down the highway, he made it to town in record time. Slowing down as he came up to the town proper, he found a parking spot just down from the bakery and hopped out. A bell chimed as he pushed the door open and Ryan spotted Travis behind the counter. Hopping over to him (Travis seemed extremely surprised to see him), Ryan asked, "Hey, Travis, I heard Nick Wilde is helping out in the store. He wouldn't be in the building by any chance, would he?"

It took Travis a moment to collect his thoughts. Having Ryan walk into the store and ask about Nick was the last thing he expected to happen today. "Uh, yeah, he is." Jerking his thumb over his shoulder, he added, "He's upstairs in the apartment."

"Can I see him?" Ryan asked. "I really need to talk to him."

"Uh, sure. Come this way." Motioning for the jackrabbit to follow, Travis turned and led him through the kitchen (and past an equally surprised Gideon who was up to his elbows in flour) and to the door that connected to the hallway that led up to the apartment. "He came back about 45 minutes ago, so you're lucky to catch him," Travis explained as he stopped to let the jackrabbit pass him.

Ryan nodded, but as he slipped through the door, Travis asked in a hesitant voice, "Um, Ryan, you aren't . . . _dating_ . . . _Judy_ are you?"

Freezing with his foot on the bottom step, Ryan spun his head around and exclaimed, "_No_, I'm not dating _Judy._ Who told you that?" Fearing Bonnie had already gotten the rumor mill going, he shook his head and quickly said, "I hope to be married in another week or two, so why would I be dating Judy?"

Travis's jaw dropped and then he squeaked out, "You're getting married in a week!?"

Realizing what he had just admitted to, Ryan turned to face Travis directly and said, "It'll probably be closer to two weeks, but yes, I'm getting married." At least he truly hoped to be. Ryan felt sure he would die if Daisy rejected him. "But it's a private wedding. _Very private_—as in _don't_ tell anyone I'm getting married. Got it?" Pointing to the smaller ferret, he waited for his answer.

"I won't say a word, Ryan. I swear," Travis quickly agreed, still stunned about this unexpected news.

Glancing over Travis's shoulder to meet Gideon's flummoxed blue gaze, Ryan pointed to him, too, saying, "You, too, Gideon, not a word."

Waving his flour-covered paws in the air, Gideon hurriedly said, "I, I, I promise. Won't say a word."

With a nod, Ryan accepted their promise of silence and then sped up the stairs, taking them two at a time in his hurry to meet Judy's fox and hopefully learn how he felt about her. No matter what, he was going to drag Nick on their trip tomorrow just as Judy wanted. Well, tonight really. They couldn't have a sleepover if one of their party members was missing, could they?

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WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter. Next time, we'll see what Nick and Judy were up to preceding Ryan's arrival at the bakery. We'll also see Ryan and Nick's conversation.

Ch. 23: Unexpected, will post in 2 weeks. Take care and enjoy the weekend. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.


	23. Chapter 23: Someone Important

WingedKatt here. There are a few songs that are played in the second half of the chapter if you're interested in looking them up. The first three are: _'Shut Up and Fish'_ by Maddie and Tae (I highly recommend watching the official music video on YouTube-it's hilarious), _'Good Time'_ by Alan Jackson, and _'Be A Light'_ by Thomas Rhett ft. w/Keith Urban, Chris Tomlin, Hillary Scott, and Reba McEntire. The other three songs are: _'If I Could Turn Back Time'_ by Cher, _'Stand By You'_ by Rachel Platten, and _'My Life Would Suck Without You'_ by Kelly Clarkson.

* * *

Standing back to survey their handiwork, Nick and gang (more rabbits had joined them after lunch) were pleased with their work. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon and they had finally finished putting the bleachers together. It had been long, hard, dusty work but they were finally done. Furthermore, there had been no accidents, either.

Glancing over at a shed where Nick was sure Daryl, Jerry, Billy, and Roger were hiding, he thought of all the death glares he'd received from them today. Nick had Ben and Aaron introduce him to the spiteful bucks the first time they showed up where here. He wanted to show the jerks that he was no pushover. He also needed to get their scent. Seeing as they had already come by the Bakery to scope him out, Nick needed to know their scent so he could recognize it in the future.

This simple action had already saved him a world of hurt today. He had caught their scents on one of the high boards he was planning to walk across and discovered several small tacks superglued pointy-side up on it. Another time, he'd smelled their scent on a rope he was going to use to haul several heavy boards up on and discovered it had been cut nearly clear through with a knife.

Nick had caught their scent a few other places, too, but as they couldn't find anything wrong, he assumed they'd been interrupted before putting their nefarious plans into action. And now Shaylee's specist brothers were out of time. With their work done, Shaylee was going to drive Nick back to the bakery so he could get cleaned up before dinner. Marty and Melanie were going to accompany them.

Ben and Aaron wanted to return home to look over the Mustang Boss before Nick showed up, so Shaylee would drop them off close to home and then they would walk the rest of the way. Brandi was going stay at the rodeo grounds. She wanted to help some of their other sisters with a few easier projects that still needed finished and then she'd ride back with them.

After saying goodbye to Brandi and a few other rabbits he'd gotten to know, Nick climbed into Shaylee's jeep along with the others. Seeing as this was the first time he had ridden in her jeep, Nick was glad Shaylee had the top off since the bunny-sized vehicle was a little short for a fox.

They had just left the dusty parking lot when Gideon called Nick to tell him about the stores barring them from entering and to ask if Shaylee wouldn't possibly mind going shopping for them? Nick knew that Shaylee would be busy the rest of the afternoon and this evening seeing as she was going to be helping with the ball, so he asked her if she could go shopping for Gideon in the morning. Shaylee readily agreed, and Marty chimed in saying he would go, too. After a moment, Melanie said she'd join them. After meeting and spending time with Nick, she was interested in learning more about foxes.

Nick let Gideon know that Shaylee would be happy to do the shopping tomorrow and let him know they were headed back to the bakery so he could clean up before dinner. Gideon was surprised to hear Nick had been invited to the Hopps burrow for dinner, but he was equally glad. With Stu inviting Nick over personally, it meant he wouldn't have to worry about being hauled in on trespassing charges in the future.

After hanging up with Gideon, they dropped Aaron and Ben off a couple miles from the burrow, and then they drove back to town. Parking behind the bakery, the three bunnies followed the fox up to the apartment. Walking through the door, Nick motioned for his friends to take a seat on the sofa while he headed back to his room, where he plopped down on the bed and fell back with his arms spread out wide.

Today had been long and hard, but he couldn't complain. With the exception of the time he'd spent with Judy, this had probably been the most meaningful work he'd done in years. And his muscles were going to be sore tomorrow to prove it.

Nick didn't lay for long, though. With his instincts still a bit agitated over the idea of Judy dating and marrying Ryan, or worse, this Jazzy character (even though—_logically_—Nick knew that wasn't the case), he picked up his phone and replayed the video of Judy's confession to Shaylee. It definitely helped mollify his instincts' ruffled tail feathers and made him long for Judy all that much more.

Back in the living room, Shaylee's and Marty's noses were twitching from the strong fox musk in the apartment, but it was nothing to poor Melanie's reaction as her nose was twitching like crazy. Shaylee had been here last night while Marty spent quite a bit of time with foxes, so they had built up somewhat of an immunity to the strong scent. But Melanie had no such immunity. Although she had gotten used to Nick's strong fox musk over the course of the day (they had been outside so the scent was diluted), it was nothing to the almost over-powering scent of fox that permeated Gideon's apartment.

Melanie had to repeatedly tell herself that she was safe and that there wasn't any danger here. After several minutes she got used to the strong scent and her nose slowed down in its twitching, though it didn't fully stop.

In an attempt to prove to her ancient bunny instincts that there was no threat here, Melanie didn't sit on the sofa with Shaylee and Marty but decided to walk around. Having never been in a fox's den before, she was highly curious. But surprisingly enough, it wasn't much different than a rabbit's burrow (just smaller—much, much smaller). There were pictures of Gideon and his family—his mother, his father when Gideon was young, his sister, and what looked to be his grandparents. There was an afghan folded neatly across the back of the sofa and ready to use on a cold evening (not that you would need it in the summer, but it was a nice touch to the room).

For a couple of bachelors, it was surprisingly clean and tidy. This surprised her. Melanie had seen several of her brothers' rooms, and they were anything but tidy. But then again, she could also say the same thing about quite a few of her sisters.

Before she could do much more than look around the living room, the apartment door opened and Gideon walked in. His surprise couldn't be plainer (his jaw was slack and his ears splayed) when he saw three bunnies in the room and not just one. Although he had smelled three bunnies on the stairs, he was still shocked to see that more than Shaylee was willing to enter a fox's den. He of course recognized Marty and knew the buck was friends with several smaller foxes in town, but he didn't recognize the other bunny.

Jumping off the couch, Shaylee walked over to Gideon and said, "Hi, Gideon! I'd like you to meet my sister Melanie and my cousin Marty." She motioned to both and Gideon gave them a nod.

Turning back to Shaylee, Gideon expressed his gratitude for agreeing to go shopping for them. Shaylee said she was happy to, even as Marty chimed in to say that he and Melanie would be going, too. This floored the rotund fox, that more of Judy's family was willing to help a couple of foxes like this. Just what kind of impression had Nick left on Judy's family? And in so short a time! If Nick could win over the Hopps clan to look more favorably on foxes, it would go a long way towards changing a lot of fox lives for the better.

The Hopps clan had such a huge influence in the community that if Nick could change their opinion about foxes, then the rest of the town would follow. There would still be a few old timers and the most specist families that wouldn't change, of course, but the majority of the town would follow the Hopps' example. Knowing this, Gideon beginning praying in his heart that Nick would be successful tonight in winning the rest of Judy's family over.

And once Judy arrived home, Mandy and all her scheming will go up in smoke. Of course, thinking of Judy made Gideon think about what Travis had seen late this morning. Judy wasn't really dating Ryan, was she?

With this thought in mind, Gideon twiddled his thumb for a moment, then asked, "Um, Shaylee, are . . . are ya sure Judy is . . ." He glanced at Marty and Melanie (Shaylee's sister was now sitting on the couch next to Marty). "Um, she's . . . _serious_ . . . about her friendship with Nick, right?"

Seeing Gideon's non-too-subtle glance at Melanie and Marty, Shaylee grinned, though she wasn't sure what the point of Gideon's question was. "Yes, Judy's serious." Tilting her head as her nose twitched in curiosity, she asked, "Why do you ask?"

Gideon glanced back at Melanie and Marty. Rubbing his paws together, he returned his gaze to Shaylee. "Well, um, I, I, I," he looked back at the bunnies on the couch again. How was he supposed to talk to Shaylee about Judy's romantic interest in a fox when her sister and cousin sitting here listening? With his tail flicking in frustration, Gideon fell silent as he didn't know how to continue.

It didn't take long for Shaylee to figure out what had Gideon tongue tied. With his frequent looks at Melanie and Marty, along with his agitation, Shaylee knew the fox was worried about saying anything about Judy's interest in Nick in front of her sister and cousin. With a brighter smile, she motioned toward the two bunnies on the couch and said, "Don't worry, they already know Judy is interested in Nick—and vice versa."

Gideon's jaw dropped and his tail slumped to the floor in shock, even as his ears perked forward before canting sideways. With his gaze jumping to the other two rabbits in the room, he was again lost for words, especially since neither rabbit looked disgusted, uneasy, or angry at the idea of Judy hooking up with a fox.

With a bob of his head, Marty said, "I like Nick. He's an awesome fox and I'm happy to call him cousin."

"Yeah," Melanie agreed as she sat beside him. "Nick is the first fox I've ever considered as a brother, but he's fun and easy to talk to." With her nose twitching in anticipation, she added, "And I can't wait until he and Judy can meet up."

Gideon was once again blown away by how quickly and fully Nick had won these rabbits over. When dealing with a species that had major trust issues with predators as a whole—but especially with foxes—it floored him to see just how easily Nick had wormed his way into these bunnies' hearts and lives. Just what had Nick said and done with them!?

Smiling widely at her sister's and cousin's responses, Shaylee turned back to Gideon and said, "You don't have to worry about talking in front of them, so what has you worried about Judy?"

Gideon was silent a moment longer, then explained how Travis had seen Judy having lunch with Ryan and worried that Judy had been on a date. Shaylee explained how Bonny had already gossiped about the whole affair and then explained how Judy was with Ryan to avoid their mother setting her up with a buck in Search and Rescue. Gideon was quiet a moment longer, then asked if she was positive about it because Travis had seen Ryan showing Judy what could only be an engagement ring.

The bunnies in the room were all shocked by this announcement and fell silent. But the room didn't remain silent for long. From down the hall, a hearty laugh could be heard and then Nick poked his head out from his open bedroom door.

He had been half-listening to the conversation while watching the video, but at Gideon's mention of a ring, Nick sat up a little straighter. It took him a moment of thought to figure out what happened and then he was laughing. Turning his phone off and putting it in his pocket as he stood up, Nick made his way into the living room. Meeting Gideon's worried gaze, he said, "I cannot _wait_ to see Bonnie's expression when she learns that Ryan already has a girl and that it's serious enough for him to buy an engagement ring!"

Gideon wrung his paws as he asked, "Are . . . are ya sure that's what . . . what happened?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Think about it. Mandy figured out on her own that Judy likes me, Judy herself confessed to Shaylee just how deeply she likes me and how afraid she is that I might not want to see her anymore. Knowing this, do you really think that with Judy's personality that she would immediately jump into a relationship with a buck she hasn't seen in years? Or that Ryan went out and bought an engagement ring for her only a day after seeing Judy again?"

Gideon's eyes widened and his ears flicked back. "Uh, no, no I, I, I, can't."

Nick gave a curt nod, saying, "Ryan was probably telling Judy about his girlfriend when he decided to show her the ring he got her. He might even have been asking for some ideas on how to propose to her, so I wouldn't worry about it. Ryan isn't a threat to me."

Gideon nodded even as the bunnies in the room relaxed as they couldn't fault Nick's logic.

Seeing as he had calmed everyone down (he had already learned the hard way how terrible and painful it was to make assumptions about Judy), Nick then said, "Now that that's taken care of, I need to jump in the shower and wash all this dirt and grime off me so I'm presentable for dinner tonight." With a slight wave, He turned around and sauntered back into his room to grab his clothes, then made his way into the bathroom.

As the door closed on Nick, Gideon said he needed to get back to the kitchen and finish making another tray of pastries. This left the three rabbits sitting around talking while waiting for Nick to come out so they could head back to their burrow.

-/-/-

Standing in front of Bobby's house, Judy waved to Patty-Mae as she backed out of the driveway and started the 15-minute drive back towards town. The trip itself from Patty-Mae's house was almost thirty minutes as she lived about 10 minutes outside of town in a different direction (the speed limit throughout Bunnyburrow and the surrounding county area never reached above 45 mph). Which is why she insisted on being dropped off. Though it didn't seem that far when driving, when riding birdback, that same 20 to 30 minutes would've been an hour or more.

With a bright smile, Judy watched her friend disappear behind a dip in the road, then turned around to look over Bobby's modest house. It was a medium sized two-story house with a front porch. The large front yard had a white picket fence, which was surprising as most of Bobby's neighbors just had chain link fencing or wire fencing. There were a couple of houses that didn't even have fencing in the front yard.

Looking over the property, Judy couldn't miss the detached two-car garage next to the house. Nor could she miss the music coming from the garage. With curiosity guiding her footsteps, she walked over and poked her head into the garage. What she saw made her grin.

Bobby's two boys, Jacob and Daniel, along with three of their friends, a male tiger whom Judy recognized as one of Tony Tigre's boys whose name was Nathaniel, and then two pretty, little mink females—one midnight black and the other a dark chocolate—who looked to be sisters. Judy didn't recognize the two minks, but they were good singers as they were currently singing a song she had recently heard on the radio. It was called _Shut Up and Fish_, but Judy never caught who sang it.

Besides singing, the black sister was playing a fiddle while her dark chocolate sister was on the keyboard. At the same time, Daniel had a guitar while Jacob was playing a banjo. Nathaniel, on the other paw, was the band's drummer.

Bobbing her head in time to the music, Judy slipped into the garage and dropped down onto an old, beat-up couch that was in there. The song was pretty funny and she started swaying to the music. Once the song finished, Judy started clapping. This startled the young teens as they had been so engrossed in their music that they hadn't noticed Judy slipping in. The boys immediately recognized her as she was close friends with their parents, even if they hadn't seen her in a couple of years.

Furthermore, Daniel and Jacob knew Judy was coming over today so they weren't surprised to see her. When they first heard Judy was coming, they were a bit uneasy as they couldn't forget her specist words from the press conference 4 months ago, but after their dad reassured them that Aunt Judy was still Aunt Judy, they relaxed and were looking forward to seeing her again. Nathaniel was glad to see Judy was enjoying their music and asked exactly what she thought of it.

Judy praised them for their music and told them how much she enjoyed listening to them, then Daniel introduced the girls to her. And yes, they were sisters. They were twins, Stella and Sabrina. After asking about the song they had just sung, Judy found out it was originally sung by Maddie and Tae. They then asked if Judy wanted to hear it again as they were practicing for the Battle of the Bands that was put on every year to kick off the Rodeo. Seeing as the rodeo opened on Friday, they only had two more days to practice.

Judy readily agreed and she once again bobbed her head, tapped her foot, and swayed to the music as she listened to the mink sisters sing while the boys played. The girls were playing their instruments, too, but they never missed a note or a beat. Once the song ended, Daniel and Jacob started singing the next song with the girls and Nathaniel singing in the background.

Judy immediately recognized this song (_Good Time_ by Alan Jackson) and both feet immediately started tapping to the honky-tonk beat. These kits did an excellent job of picking this song for the Battle of the Bands. Not only did this song have a toe-tapping beat, but the lyrics really captured what the weekend, and most importantly, _the rodeo_ was meant to be—a real good time.

The last song they sang was _Be a Light_, which, in light of what was going on in Zootopia right now, was a song that was very much needed right now. Knowing she was part of the reason for the flames of hate and misery sweeping through Zootopia had tears smarting in Judy's eyes. Taking several deep breaths, she held the tears in, but it did nothing for the pain in her heart. Thinking of Nick being trapped in Zootopia didn't help. Was he okay? Was he hurt? Did he escape? Did he find someplace warm to stay or was he forced into one of the predator refugee camps? Not knowing was killing her.

When the song ended, Judy clapped again, then asked if she could record the songs. Since she was going to be up in the mountains on Friday, she wouldn't be able to see the concert, so Judy wanted a recording to watch on that night so she could be there in spirit, rooting for them. The teenagers readily agreed and played their heart out while Judy recorded their songs.

As the young band finished _Be a Light_ again, an idea struck Judy, and she asked, "Do you guys just play Country music or do you play other genres, too?"

The teenagers glanced at each other, then Daniel met Judy's curious gaze and said, "Oh, no, these are just the songs we picked for the rodeo, but we like to play all kinds of music."

Judy gave a nod, then played with her phone a moment before asking, "Would you guys be able to play a couple of songs for me then?"

Daniel glanced at his band members with Jacob and Nathaniel giving a shrug while the mink sisters smiled brightly in excitement. They loved to play and sing and were highly curious at what the rabbit had in mind. After reaching an agreement, the group turned their own curious gazes on Judy. "Sure," Daniel replied, "what songs did you have in mind?"

Taking a deep breath, Judy figured she better explain the meaning behind the songs first, and so she said, "Okay, so I met this guy in Zootopia and he really helped me out a lot. He was there for me when no one else was and even risked his life a couple of times in helping me. It's not an exaggeration to say that I wouldn't be here right now if not for him." Taking another deep breath, she added, "It was only with his help that I was able to find all those missing mammals."

Dropping her gaze in guilt even as her voice dropped in pain, Judy further explained, "But the horrible things I said at the Press Conference really hurt him as they did every other predator in Zootopia."

"Wait," Stella interrupted, "your friend is a predator?" This was juicy gossip she never would have expected from the bunny cop from the city who ruined the lives of so many predators in the short time she was in Zootopia.

With a nod, Judy showed the teens the picture of Nick on her phone, saying, "His name is Nick and he's a red fox." As they passed her phone around, Judy further explained, "Nick was there at the conference with me and he tried to coach me on how to talk to the press." With a heavy sigh, Judy's ears drooped as she said, "If I had listened to his advice, I wouldn't have made such a mess of everything." Shaking her head, she added, "Anyways, Nick called me up on it afterwards and I reacted really badly." Twiddling her thumbs, she whispered, "I haven't seen or heard from him since."

Sabrina handed the bunny's phone back to her and asked, "And the songs you want us to play, they have the words you wish you could say to him?"

Judy nodded as she ran her fingers over the picture of Nick. "The first song is from Cher." Looking up, she told them the song's name, "_If I Could Turn Back Time_ and the second song is _Stand by You_ by Rachel Platten."

Sabrina brightened. "I love those songs and they are definitely good ones to sing to your guy after a bad fight."

Judy felt relieved that they knew both songs, then she asked if she could sing with them. She knew she wasn't the best singer, but Judy hoped that if she sang with the group, her voice would blend in with theirs and wouldn't be so bad.

After setting her phone up to record, Judy joined the teens and was handed a microphone. Gazing at the camera, Judy said, "Nick, I hope I get a chance to share these songs with you because they express my feelings better than I do." With a deep breath, she glanced at Daniel and Stella and gave a nod.

As the others started playing the music, her voice then joined Sabrina's and Stella's as the lyrics started: "_If I could turn back time… If I could find a way. I'd take back all those words that'll hurt you and you'd stay… I don't know why I did the things I did. I don't know why I said the things I said_…"

As Judy sang with Stella and Sabrina, tears stung her eyes and then trickled slowly down her cheeks as she thought about how much she hurt Nick. She desperately hoped that Shaylee, and Ryan, and Patty-Mae were right and that Nick would come back to her, that he would forgive her.

Continuing the song, she sang, "_My world was shattered, I was torn apart. Like someone took a knife and drove it deep in my heart. You walked out that door I swore I didn't care, but I lost everything, darling, then and there_…" Ignoring the tears softly falling, she continued singing, "_I know I was blind. And darling, if I could turn back time, if I could find a way, I'd take back all those words that'll hurt you and you'd stay. If I could reach the stars, I'd give them all to you…_"

As the song finished, Sabrina handed a box of tissues to Judy and once she dried her tears and got her emotions under control, they started on the second song. After taking a deep breath, Judy and the mink sisters started singing, "_Hands, put your empty hands in mine. And scars, show me all the scars you hide. And hey, if your wings are broken, please take mine so yours can open, too. 'Cause I'm gonna stand by you_."

Looking directly into the camera, Judy hoped Nick could feel just how much she meant the words she sang. "_Even if you're breaking down, we can find a way to break through. Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through hell with you. Love, you're not alone, 'cause I'm gonna stand by you…_" As she continued singing, more tears trickled down her cheeks, but this time it wasn't from guilt but hope. This song was able to say everything in her heart for what she hoped to be for Nick—his support, his strength, his confidant, a shoulder to cry on, and just being there to help shoulder his pain and chase away the loneliness.

As the song came to an end, Sabrina was there with the box of Kleenex again and Judy gave a weak chuckle. "Thanks," she murmured. "I've been a real mess since Nick walked out on me."

"Anytime," Sabrina said with a bright smile. At Judy's nod of gratitude, Sabrina then said, "There's another song I think fits you and Nick pretty well." As Judy glanced sharply at her in curiosity, Sabrina amended, "At least it will if Nick comes back for you."

Wiping her nose, Judy asked, "And what song is that?"

With a bright grin, Sabrina said, "_My Life Would Suck Without You_ by Kelly Clarkson."

Judy's ears perked up at hearing the song's name. "I'm not familiar with it, but it sounds about right because, yeah, my life completely sucks without Nick."

With an even wider grin than her sister, Stella asked, "Do you want us to sing it for you and Nick?" Talk about a Romeo and Juliet love story! A rabbit fell in love with a fox! Who would have ever imagined it!?

Judy readily agreed and sat back on the couch as Sabrina moved back to her keyboard. Glancing back at the camera, Sabrina said, "This is for you and Judy, Nick, so you better come back and make up with her, you hear me?" She was pointing to the camera while giving a no-nonsense stare.

Judy chuckled, as did the others, and then they started playing, with Stella and Sabrina singing the lyrics together. "_I guess this means you're sorry, you're standing at my door. Guess this means you take back all you said before. Like how much you wanted anyone but me. Said you'd never come back, but here you are again… 'Cause we belong together now. Yeah!"_

Judy was surprised at how well the song depicted her and Nick (more so if he actually did show up at her door). With her head bobbing and her toes tapping, Judy listened intently to the words the mink sisters sang with such feeling and passion.

"_I know that I got issues, but you're pretty messed up, too. Either way I found out, I'm nothing without you... 'Cause we belong together now. Yeah! Forever reunited here somehow. Yeah! You got a piece of me and I gotta say, my life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you! …Being with you is so dysfunctional. I really shouldn't miss you, but I just can't let you go_…"

As the girls finished singing, and while the last strains of the song hung in the air, Judy really hoped Nick showed up at her door and she could share this song with him because it described them to a _'T'_. With the song over, Judy stopped the video and planned to re-watch it later tonight. The teens spent the rest of the afternoon singing different songs with Judy and they had a blast, but as 4:30 rolled around, they decided they needed to get back to practicing the three songs they had chosen for the Battle of the Bands.

Judy agreed, but didn't feel like going into the house just yet. Carol (Daniel and Jacob's mom) had come out earlier to check on the kits and had greeted Judy. Although she was looking forward to talking with Carol, Judy wasn't quite ready to leave the happy vibes she felt here listening to the teens playing. So, while they practiced for the competition this Friday, Judy pulled out her phone and decided to clean out her voicemails. She was still irritated that so many of her siblings who she hardly ever talked to had blasted her phone with useless messages. What if someone important had tried calling her!?

* * *

WingedKatt here. I hope you all are having a very Merry Christmas. In the story, Ryan is about to arrive at Nick's place and Judy is finally going through her voicemails, so we'll see who calls who first.

Ch. 24: Unexpected, will post in 2 weeks.

I hope you all stay safe. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know.


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